New standardized test would report individual perfermoance, and help prepare for 11th grade HSPA.
By: Josh Appelbaum
Cranbury students attending Princeton High School may have to gear up for another standardized test.
The Princeton Regional Board of Education is considering whether to add a mandatory exam for its ninth and 10th graders.
Currently, students are tested in eighth grade, when the Grade 8 Proficiency Assessment is given, and again in 11th grade with the High School Proficiency Assessment. The new test, McGraw-Hill’s Terra Nova exam an English, language arts and math assessment could be given to students as early as this spring.
Some Cranbury parents say the new test is a useful tool to catch students before they fall through the cracks. Others expressed concern that students are inundated by standardized tests throughout school.
Unlike other standardized tests, which aim to measure overall school-wide performance, Terra Nova scores would not be reported publicly and would provide data on individual student performance. Princeton school board officials said the test will determine which students are struggling and help them prepare for the 11th grade HSPA.
Leigh Zink of Cranbury, parent of a 10th-grader, said she doesn’t think the test will be beneficial.
"I think they’re tested to death in elementary school," Ms. Zink said. "In 10th grade, they are taking the PSATs and SAT prep courses, so I don’t think another test is the answer."
Christine Orcutt of Cranbury, parent of a PHS ninth-grader, said she is in favor of tests for underclassmen.
"I think it’s probably a good idea," she said. "I was surprised that (Princeton High School) didn’t have a test for the ninth and 10th grades before this."
School officials hope better individual scores on the HSPA could help rid Princeton High School of its "early warning" status. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, any school that fails to meet certain "Adequate Yearly Progress" benchmarks can be branded as an "early warning" institution.
Though the majority of Princeton High School students score at or above the necessary level of the federal standard, a small subset continually fail to meet them. The school has been on the "early warning" list since 2003.

