NJSLA-Adaptive and NJGPA Adaptive Fall 2025 Fall Field Test FAQs

In August, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) informed school districts throughout the state that in partnership with Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI), they will be launching the New Jersey Student Learning Assessments-Adaptive (NJSLA-Adaptive) and the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment-Adaptive (NJGPA-Adaptive) during the 2025-2026 school year.

These assessments will be aligned with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) for ELA and mathematics, and are designed to continue to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a meaningful way. The NJDOE believes these assessments will reflect an effort to improve the testing experience while maintaining a strong connection to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. In addition, the NJDOE is requiring all school districts to have students participate in NJSLA-Adaptive and NJGPA-Adaptive Field Tests this Fall.

Below is a FAQ, that is aimed at helping members of the school community obtain a better understanding of these assessments and the Fall 2025 Field Tests. The information provided in the FAQ is a collection of information from the NJDOE that has been provided to school districts

Who Must Participate in the Fall 2025 Field Test?

Students who meet the following criteria must participate in the fall field test:

NJSLA-Adaptive

English Language Arts (ELA)

Students currently enrolled in grades 4-10

Mathematics

Students currently enrolled in grades 4-9; and

Students who were enrolled in Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra II during the 2024- 2025 school year.

NJGPA-Adaptive

English Language Arts (ELA)

Students currently enrolled in grade 11

Mathematics

There is no specific field test for the NJGPA-Adaptive Mathematics assessment. The mathematics component will pull items from the NJSLA Adaptive Algebra 1 and Geometry item banks. These items are being field tested as described above.

Will schools receive test results from the administration of the NJSLA- Adaptive and NJGPA-Adaptive field tests?

No. The New Jersey Department of Education will not be providing field test results to students, educators, or schools because the primary purpose of a field test is to evaluate the quality and performance of test items—not to measure student achievement.
A field test is administered to ensure that test items are valid, reliable, and fair for all students.
The data collected helps the state and test developers analyze how questions function across diverse student populations, refine scoring models, and improve the overall quality of the assessment before it is officially used for reporting purposes.
The field test will also provide New Jersey educators and students with an opportunity to become familiar with the assessments and their administration before operational testing in spring 2026.

When will the Fall 2025 Field Test Occur?

The Field testing window for the Fall NJSLA-Adaptive and NJGPA-Adaptive Test is scheduled to occur from October 27 through November 14, 2025.
There will be no testing on November 4, 6, 7, or 11.
All school districts throughout the state are required to participate.

What will the students be tested on during this field test?

Each student will receive questions aligned to the grade prior to their current enrollment.
For example, a grade 4 student would receive items aligned to standards from grade 3.
This method ensures that each student would have had the opportunity to learn the material prior to the Fall 2025 Field Test.
For the end-of-course mathematics field test, students will receive items aligned to the course they were enrolled in during the 2024-2025 school year.

Will students take an entire battery of tests during the fall field test?

No, students will be taking a sampling of items and not a complete test for any subject.
Field tests are intended to sample various types of test items for future potential use and to provide New Jersey educators and students with an opportunity to become familiar with the assessments and their administration.

Table 1: Fall 2025 Field Test Unit Testing Times

Unit	Unit Testing Time
ELA-Reading	60 minutes
ELA-Writing	120 minutes
Mathematics	60 minutes

Units and Testing Times

Students participating in the Fall 2025 Field Test will each be assigned no more than one mathematics unit, one reading unit, and one writing task based on the participation guidelines.
Most students – including all students in grades 4-9 – will be assigned exactly one mathematics unit, one reading unit, and one writing task, for a total of four hours of field testing as outlined in Table 1 below.
Students in grades 10-11 will be assigned exactly one ELA reading unit, one ELA writing task, and their math assignment will depend on the course they took in the 2024-2025 school year as outlined above.
Students in grade 12 will not be assigned any ELA units, and their math assignment will depend on the course they took in the 2024-2025 school year as outlined above.
Districts may administer up to a maximum of two (2) units per day for a student.
The testing platform allows additional flexibility to provide students breaks during testing time.
At the test administrator’s discretion, students may be provided one ten-minute break during the ELA-Writing unit.

What is an adaptive test, and what are the benefits to the students?

A computer-adaptive test (CAT) is an assessment tool that determines future questions based on a student's responses to prior questions, creating a more personalized experience for each learner.
This approach can help reduce testing anxiety by presenting students with questions closer to their current level, encouraging confidence and focus.
An adaptive assessment measures each student’s knowledge with greater precision since the students will receive more items closer to their current level.

Does the new assessment impact the spring NJSLA-Science or Fall administration of the NJGPA?

There will be no changes to the science assessment in the 2025-2026 school year.
Students in the Class of 2026 who do not have a valid score on one or both components of the NJGPA will have the opportunity to participate in the current version of the New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) this fall.

Does the New Jersey Department of Education have a new assessment platform for the Fall 2025 Field Tests and the Spring 2026 NJSLA and Spring NJGPA assessments?

Yes, a new testing platform will be implemented for the state’s adaptive assessments.
Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI) will manage all aspects of assessment delivery, including test registration, administration, scoring, and reporting for the new adaptive assessments.
The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) will allow schools to manage student data, assign accommodations, select test formats, as well as other features, all from one interface. The platform is web-based and works with existing school technology. The Test Delivery System (TDS) supports the administration of the assessments. It consists of two key components: the Test Administrator (TA) Interface and the Student Interface. TDS is designed to provide a seamless testing experience for both the TAs and students.

Will the Fall 2025 Field test have accommodations and accessibility features?

• Yes, all accessibility features and accommodations previously available in our former assessments will be fully carried into the new assessment platform.

Is there an online practice site and/or tutorials available?

• Yes, tutorials and practice tests are now available on the New Jersey Assessments Portal’s Students and Families webpage. ( https://nj.portal.cambiumast.com/families.html )