Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions - NJSLA

Updated September 12, 2019

Q: Who will take the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments in the Spring of 2020?

A:  For ELA / Literacy:  Students in English 1 (9th grade) and English 2 (10th grade) will take the grade-level English Language Arts / Literacy NJSLA during the Spring administration.  The graduation testing requirement will need to be met by meeting a cut score on an alternative assessment, as found on the NJ State High School Graduation Assessment Requirements document, updated May 2018.   

For Mathematics: Students enrolled in an Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II course will take the respective mathematics subject area assessment during the Spring administration of PARCC.  Any student who is enrolled in two PARCC math courses (ex. Geometry and Algebra II or Geometry and Algebra I) will take the Algebra I or Algebra II test.  These students will not take the Geometry assessment.

Students enrolled in the following courses are NOT required to take the PARCC assessment in Math:  Precalculus, Calculus, College Algebra & Statistics, Statistics, Computer Science, Integrated Algebra and Geometry, Math 1, 2, 3, or 4, and Advanced Mathematics Applications

    Q:  Who will take the NJ Student Learning Assessment in Science (NJ SLA-S)?
    A:  All 11th grade students will take the NJ SLA-S, regardless of what science course they are enrolled in.  This is a comprehensive science assessment aligned to the NJ Student Learning Standards for Science

    Q:  When are the PARCC and the NJ SLA-S Assessments going to be administered?  
    A:  The District's assessment schedule can be found online.  Any and all changes from a previous document will highlighted in yellow.  

    Q: Why should my child participate in PARCC?
    A: Students will have different reasons for taking the PARCC assessment depending on where they are in their high school career. These reasons include:

    • Meeting a NJ State graduation high school requirement for showing proficiency in English Language Arts / Literacy and mathematics, as described on the NJ State High School Graduation Assessment Requirements document, updated May 2018.   

    • Receiving a more detailed and targeted report (compared to the former NJ ASK and HSPA assessments) that provides information in the areas reading, writing, and mathematics. The individual student reports include sub-claims in these three areas that help to identify strengths and weaknesses, and can be used to make future instructional decisions.

    • Providing the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District with information that relates to the curricular program here in the district, as taken through the students' scores and sub-claim data. This information can be used to inform curriculum and instructional decisions.

    • Practice for the redesigned SAT - Even though the SAT is still a paper and pencil test, the redesigned SAT is more aligned to the PARCC than before. Participating in PARCC will provide students with an opportunity to practice their testing skills with questions that require persistence in solving multi-step problems and synthesizing evidence-based responses from a number of different sources.

    • Practice with online assessments - Our students will face online assessments in their future. Participating in the PARCC assessment provides the student with an opportunity to take a standardized online assessment in a formal testing environment.

    Q: Are the PARCC scores going to be included on my child's high school transcript?
    A: As per the NJ State Memo dated March 3, 2015 (Re: High School Transcripts), no action has been taken that will require including PARCC scores on a student transcript. The Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District will continue with the practice of NOT including NJ State standardized test scores on a student's transcript.

    Q: What happens if a student is absent on the day(s) that the PARCC or the NJ SLA-S is administered?
    A: Students not in attendance on the day of the assessment(s) will take the assessment(s) on the designated make-up days, as per the building's make-up schedule.   

    Q: What will students need to bring to school on the day(s) of the PARCC assessment?
    A: The students will need to bring the following to school for the PARCC and NJ SLA-S assessment:

    • A graphing calculator with functionalities consistent with TI-84 or similar models. If a student does not have a graphing calculator for the day of the math assessment, s/he can use the online graphing calculator that is included in the PARCC testing environment.
    • Headphones that can be used with the student-assigned MacBook Air.  Headphones should be wired and plugged into the headphone port on the laptop.  Wireless / bluetooth headphones are not permissible.  
    • Charged laptop and power cord. 
    • Pencils
    • Recreational reading material (for use during the remaining time after completing the assessments).

    Q: Who can I contact for more information?
    A:  If you have questions or need additional information, please feel free to reach out to the School or District Test Coordinators.  

    Ramapo High School School Test Coordinator:  Mr. Dan Guido   [email protected]   201.891-1500  ext.  2222
    Indian Hills  High School School Test Coordinator: Mrs. Claudia Dargento   [email protected]  201.337.0100  ext.  3322
    District Test Coordinator:  Dr. Melissa Quackenbush   [email protected]   201.416.8100 ext. 3818