New Jersey has administered statewide assessments since the 1970s, and over the years, the testing program has evolved. It began as
a measure of basic skills, and after 1996, it has assessed the state's academic standards. In 2001, under the federal No Child Left
Behind Act, every state was required to test students in mathematics and English language arts (ELA) in grades 3 to 8 and grade 11.
That mandate is still in effect under the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
(NJDOE resource:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/assessment/
