New Jersey has changed its statewide English language arts and mathematics tests three times in a little over a decade: from NJ ASK and HSPA to PARCC, from PARCC to the NJSLA, and from the fixed-form NJSLA to the computer-adaptive NJSLA-A. This article follows that sequence using the New Jersey Department of Education's own records, and ends with what each change means for a district that keeps multi-year results. It is written for district and school leaders, test coordinators and anyone who charts results across these years.
NJDOE publishes its own account of the earlier history, back to the Minimum Basic Skills test of the 1970s, on its Historical Context page.
Phase I: PARCC (2014–2015 to 2018)
New Jersey joined the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) consortium in spring 2010 and became a Governing State in spring 2011. According to NJDOE's history of the testing program, the PARCC computer-based assessments replaced NJ ASK in grades 3–8 and HSPA in high school in 2014–2015, after more than three years in which the state had been moving NJ ASK toward higher-level skills to give districts time to prepare.
The department describes PARCC as built to measure whether students could apply concepts rather than repeat memorized facts: mathematical reasoning and modeling in math, and close reading of multiple passages with written responses in English language arts. In May 2016 the State Board adopted revised mathematics and ELA standards and renamed all of the state's standards the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS).
Phase II: The NJSLA (spring 2019 to spring 2025)
NJDOE's results archive shows the change directly. The 2018–19 reports list Fall 2018 PARCC results followed by Spring 2019 NJSLA results. From spring 2019 the state's ELA and mathematics tests were the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments.
Two further events shaped the NJSLA years:
- The pandemic gap. The NJSLA was cancelled in 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 because of COVID-19. NJDOE noted this when growth data returned to the School Performance Reports in 2022–2023, for the first time since 2018–2019.
- A separate graduation test. The New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) is a different test from the NJSLA. NJDOE's 2021–22 reports are the first to carry NJGPA results, from spring 2022.
Phase III: The adaptive tests (2025–2026 onward)
NJDOE announced the new assessments in a broadcast memo dated August 13, 2025. There are two adaptive tests, and they are different tests with different purposes:
- NJSLA-Adaptive (NJSLA-A) replaced the fixed-form NJSLA in English language arts and mathematics.
- NJGPA-Adaptive (NJGPA-A) replaced the NJGPA as the graduation assessment. The NJDOE FAQ says it was first given to the Class of 2027, in grade 11.
Science is not part of the change. The NJSLA-Science remains a fixed-form assessment.
The FAQ gives the department's reasons: "a more personalized testing experience for students, more timely data," and closer alignment with the 2023 NJSLS for ELA and mathematics. It explains that the test adjusts difficulty after groups of questions rather than after each one, and that only grade-level items count toward the score. The state's assessment partner for the new tests is Cambium Assessment, which runs the New Jersey Assessments Portal. A fall 2025 field test, set out in NJDOE's September 16, 2025 broadcast, came before the first operational administration in spring 2026.
For grades, courses, testing times and dates, use NJDOE's own pages rather than any summary: the NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A page, which links the blueprints and key dates, and the unit testing times page.
Results from the first adaptive year
The two tests are on different reporting schedules. According to the FAQ, Spring 2026 NJGPA-A results were released on August 17, 2026, after the State Board adopted the NJGPA-A cut scores on August 5. Spring 2026 NJSLA-A results are listed for fall 2026. For later administrations, the FAQ lists Spring 2027 NJSLA-A results for June 30, 2027.
Summary timeline
| Year | Milestone (per NJDOE) |
|---|---|
| 2014–2015 | PARCC replaces NJ ASK (grades 3–8) and HSPA |
| May 2016 | State Board adopts revised standards, renamed the NJ Student Learning Standards |
| Spring 2019 | First NJSLA results |
| 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 | NJSLA cancelled due to COVID-19 |
| Spring 2022 | First NJGPA results |
| August 2025 | NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A announced |
| Fall 2025 | Field test for the adaptive tests |
| Spring 2026 | First operational NJSLA-A and NJGPA-A |
| August 17, 2026 | Spring 2026 NJGPA-A results released |
| Fall 2026 | Spring 2026 NJSLA-A results scheduled |
What this means for your school's data
Not every change breaks a trend line in the same way. The pandemic years left a gap: there is no 2020 or 2021 NJSLA result to compare against. The adaptive transition is a different kind of break. NJDOE's July 2026 standard-setting presentation states that the change “introduces a new scoring scale” and that “prior fixed-form cut scores from the NJGPA and NJSLA no longer apply”.
A district charting results across these years should treat them as separate segments rather than one continuous line. Label each administration by year and test (NJSLA, NJSLA-A, NJGPA or NJGPA-A), and mark the break at 2026.
Related reading: What the NJSLA-Adaptive Changes for Teachers and School Leaders · Is the NJSLA-Adaptive a Better Test?