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Grades 3-8 ELA & Math
New York State administers ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Common Core tests intended to provide students, families, educators, and the public better measures of student proficiency in the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college and careers. While these assessments are produced and administered according to New York Stated Education Department guidelines, testing in Math and ELA at these grade levels is required by the federal government.Who takes these exams?All students in grades 3 through 8 are expected to participate in these tests, with the exception of a small population of students who have newly emigrated to our country (who are exempt from taking the ELA assessment), and students with severe disabilities (less than 2% of students) who take New York State Alternate Assessments in place of these exams.How are the results of these assessments used?NYS recommends that these assessments be used as one data point for diagnostic purposes. NYS will release reports for schools and teachers to use for instructional purposes on or about July 1. This information is used by schools and teachers to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement for their students and use these reports to make instructional decisions.How much time do these assessments take to administer?NYS Math and ELA assessments each take up to 3-4 ½ hours to administer. The time for each exam is spread out over a two-day period, and students are given as much time as needed to complete each session within the confines of the regular school day.Some schools have elected to administer these tests on computers rather than by paper and pencil. The computer-based tests (CBT) will have the same questions as the paper-based versions. Students in those schools that have opted to use CBT have access to CBT practice tests and have prior experience participating in other computer-based ELA and Math assessments.______________________________________