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Results of the second year of the New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills Tests in reading and mathematics, mandated by the New Jersey Public School Education Act of 1975, are summarized. Approximately 397,000 students in grades three, six, nine, and eleven were tested. Results of the tests showed that a smaller percentage of sixth-grade students met statewide standards than any other tested grade, confirming previous state and national findings of decreased performance in the intermediate grades. Other findings showed relationships between student achievement and socioeconomic status, type of community in which the school district is located, and region of the state. Tables summarizing results are included, along with appendices outlining required minimum competencies for each grade, and the procedures used to determine cutting scores. (MH)

An overview is presented of the New Jersey Department of Education's activities in response to the following mandates: (1) statewide minimum standards be established for communication/computation skills; (2) students be tested annually in these areas to determine progress; and (3) remediation be provided to all students whose performance is below state standards. Also included are the results of the Minimum Basic Skills tests administered. Results from the first three years of Minimum Basic Skills testing show a significantly larger percentage of students (all grades, subjects) met the statewide standards in 1979-80 than in the previous years of testing; increases were most dramatic in elementary grade reading and mathematics; gains for secondary school students (grades 9-11) were less pronounced than the elementary grades, but also significant; generally, students obtained higher Minimum Basic Skills test scores in 1980; and a smaller percentage of students in urban centers and low socioeconomic status groups scored at or above state standards than in suburban and affluent areas. Detailed indexes and appendices are included. (Author/GK)

The New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills (MBS) Tests in reading and mathematics were administered for the third consecutive year during the week of March 24, 1980 to approximately 390,000 publicly educated students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 11. The 1979-80 MBS Tests measured the same skills as the 1977-78 and 1978-79 tests. These three tests remained equivalent with respect to the total number of items, the type of items, and the emphasis in each skill area. However, each item on the 1979-80 test was a new item. Results were presented in tables and may be summarized as follows: (1) a significantly larger percentage of students met the statewide minimum standard in all grades and subjects in 1979-80 than during the previous two years of MBS testing; (2) increases were most dramatic in the elementary grades; (3) overall, on all grade levels, there was a 3.4 percent increase in reading and a 6.9 percent increase in mathematics as represented by the percent of students attaining the minimum basic level over the three years of MBS testing; and (4) on the average, all students obtained higher scores. (RL)

All New Jersey students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 11 are tested annually in basic reading and computation skills using the New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills (MBS) Tests. The MBS testing program was initiated in 1976. The former Educational Assessment Program tests were used during the tramsition, and test development activities were begun in 1977. Objectives were developed through committees and a statewide survey; test items were developed by Educational Testing Service, and reviewed by the test development committees. Each of the tests was field tested in the early fall of 1977. The test development process is repeated each year. Cut-off scores were established to signify that a particular student is minimally proficient in mathematics and reading, taking into consideration the content of the test and the difficulty of the items. A variety of manuals are distributed, providing guidelines for administration and interpretation of the tests. This report also discusses the reporting formats available, students exempted from the testing program, interpretation of test results, and release of results to the public. (BW)

Results of the second administration of the New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills (MBS) Tests in reading and mathematics are reported for students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 11. The reading tests are organized according to clusters of items: (1) word recognition; (2) comprehension; and (3) study skills. The mathematics tests are also organized into clusters: (1) computation; (2) number concepts; (3) measurement/geometry; and (4) problem solving. Student performance on the tests is reported at the district, county, and state levels. The percentage of students correctly answering each item is examined to determine the adequacy of mastery attainment for the skills assessed. An item-by-item comparison between the 1978-79 performance and the 1977-78 performance is made. In addition, a statistical analysis determines the relative degree of difficulty of each item on the 1978-79 test and compares it to the corresponding items on the 1977-78 test. Cautions are given in interpreting the MBS test results, particularly in comparison with commercial norm-referenced achievement tests, in comparison between students, schools, districts, and/or reference groups, in comparison with tests which are not equated and in comparison across grades. (RL)

Reading and mathematics tests of the New Jersey Minimum Basic Skills Tests were modified to accomodate handicapped students, in order to determine whether or not students would perform better on the modified test forms. Changes were made in the format of the test booklets, answer sheets, and administration instructions to accomodate the following categories of disabilities: communication impaired, mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed, orthopedically handicapped, chronically ill, perceptually impaired, neurologically impaired, multiply handicapped, and socially malajusted. Braille, large-print, or signed versions of the standard test were felt to be appropriate for visually and hearing impaired students. Either the standard or modified versions of the reading and mathematics tests were administered to fourth, seventh, tenth, and twelfth grade students in order to field test the acceptability of the modifications. Results showed that reading test performance was better on the modified version for grades 7, 10, and 12, while there were no significant differences in performance on the mathematics tests at any grade level. Uncluttered test pages and large print appeared to influence performance. (Modified test manuals; sample test items and answer sheets from standard and modified tests; and brief recommendations regarding individualized educational programs are included). (GDC)

Results are summarized of New Jersey's Minimum Basic Skills reading and mathematics tests which were administered to all state public school students in grades 3, 6, 9, and 11, in March, 1979. These results are also briefly compared to the results of the 1977-1978 testing program. Almost 300,000 students are reported to have taken these tests, which consist of approximately 100 reading items (covering word recognition, reading comprehension, and study skills) and approximately 100 mathematics items (covering computation, number concepts, measurement/geometry, and problem solving). Data are presented in tabular form for each grade, subject and cluster (such as number concepts). Information is included on the test item number; percent correct; comment regarding the total percent correct (such as excellent or satisfactory); percent correct for the previous year; and evaluative comments comparing the change between the two years. For each grade level and subject area, a narrative summary is given on specific areas of strengths or weaknesses, as well as performance according to community type and district factor grouping. The formula for deriving the distict factor grouping, which is based upon a number of socioeconomic variables, is appended. (GDC)

This anthology of articles investigates and analyzes problems related to declining enrollment with emphasis on the state of New Jersey. It is intended to provide assistance to local New Jersey school districts in managing and preparing for enrollment decline. The first chapter provides an overview of declining enrollments in New Jersey and touches on the effects of declining enrollment on finance, personnel, facilities, and management. The second chapter explores patterns of enrollment fluctuation in New Jersey school districts from 1966-67 to 1976-77, concluding that enrollment decline has hit some areas of the state and some types of districts more severely than others. The third chapter outlines the policy options open to the states in responding to decline and reviews the changes in state-aid formulas that 19 states have made as a result of decline. In chapter 4 some ways of dealing with surplus facilities produced by declining enrollment are briefly reviewed. (Author/JM)