The state tests explained for New York parents
Each spring, New York students in grades 3 to 8 take the New York State English Language Arts and Mathematics Tests, and students in grades 5 and 8 also take a science test. The tests check the learning standards taught in class. They are separate from the report card and from class grades.
The state tests at a glance
- Who takes them
- English language arts and math: every grade from 3 to 8. Science: grade 5 (the elementary-level test) and grade 8 (the intermediate-level test), based on New York's P-12 Science Learning Standards. Students with severe cognitive disabilities may take the New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) instead.
- What they cover
- The English language arts and math tests follow New York's Next Generation Learning Standards. Students read passages, write answers using evidence and solve real-world word problems, explaining their reasoning in open-ended answers. The science tests include questions where students graph, sort or drag answers.
- When and how
- Students test on a computer in the spring. Schools pick two days in a row for English language arts and two for math, and one day for science, within the window NYSED sets each year. The tests are untimed: a student who is working productively gets the time they need within the school day.
- How results are described
- Scores are reported in four levels. Level 4 means the student excels in the standards for their grade, Level 3 means proficient, Level 2 partially proficient and Level 1 below proficient. NYSED expects parent score reports around September, and they show how your child did in specific skill areas.
- In high school
- High school students take Regents Exams at the end of some courses. Many students take the Algebra I Regents, and often a science Regents such as Earth and Space Sciences or Life Science: Biology, in 9th grade. Ask your school which Regents Exams your child will take.
- English language learners
- Students who are learning English also take a yearly English language proficiency test. New York now uses WIDA ACCESS, which took the place of the NYSESLAT.
- Report card link
- State test scores don't change your child's report card. NYSED says individual grades 3–8 English language arts and math scores are not put on a student's transcript or permanent record, and districts can't base promotion decisions solely or mainly on them.
Dates and details change from year to year. Your school and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) have the current information.
How to help your child feel ready
- Keep routines simple: regular sleep, a good breakfast and a calm morning.
- Read together often, then ask your child to retell what happened and point to the words that show it.
- Encourage short daily writing: a journal entry, a note or a list with reasons.
- Practice math with real problems (shopping, cooking, travel times) as well as math facts.
- Try NYSED's online question sampler together, so the computer screens feel familiar.
- Tell your child the tests show what they know. They are not something to fail.
Practice the grade-level skills with Gradelings: 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade and 8th grade.
Common questions
English language arts and math every year from 3rd to 8th grade, and science in 5th and 8th grade. In high school, students take Regents Exams at the end of some courses.
In the spring, but the dates change each year. NYSED posts the testing window at www.nysed.gov/state-assessment, and your school sets its own days within it.
No. They are separate. Your child's report card describes learning in class through the year, using the marks your district chooses, so the two can tell different parts of the story.
Level 3 means your child is proficient in the standards for their grade, and Level 4 means they excel. Level 2 means partially proficient and Level 1 below proficient, so they are still building those skills. Talk with your child's teacher about what the score means for your child.
Your child's teacher or principal can explain how your school runs the tests, what accommodations your child may get and anything else about your child taking part. NYSED's parent resources are on its state assessment pages.
Gradelings practices the math, English language arts and science skills in New York's learning standards with kind feedback and no timers unless you want them. It isn't a copy of the state tests and doesn't predict a score.
Also see: New York report cards explained and Social emotional learning.
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