The PARCC Test is no longer given in NJ. Here is the latest on NJ assessments: https://www.nj.gov/education/assessment/

PARCC Test NJ – What You’ll Want to Consider

The New Jersey PARCC test is an assessment for students in grades 3 through 8 and High School. The test administration window typically occurs somewhere between mid-April and May.

From the New Jersey PARCC website:

“In the 2014-15 school year, New Jersey transitioned from its former assessments to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) in mathematics and English language arts. The PARCC assessments more accurately measure the higher-level skills developed under the New Jersey Student Learning Standards and provide parents and educators with meaningful information to improve teaching and learning.”

PARCC helps state educational leaders help to make sure that students are on track for graduation. In fact, in high school, students must attain an acceptable score on the PARCC assessment in order to graduate.

Fortunately for teachers, there are enough resources available to help you prepare students for success on the PARCC assessment. In this article, we’ve laid out the basics of what you need to know.

From test design, to content, standards, and helping students feel confident with their test-taking skills, we’ve taken a look and the good news is- the tools are all here! You just need to take what you have and apply. That said, when it comes to tracking standards and building comfort with online testing, you know we’ve got your back!

So go ahead, check out the tips below and take advantage of the PARCC test NJ practice content in the Edulastic Assessment Library. You can start with the assessments we’ve listed in this article. Good luck! You’ve got this.

PARCC Test NJ: What Educators Should Consider

1) PARCC Content and Structure

The NJ PARCC testing website makes it easy for teachers to discover the structure of the test and the types of questions that students will find on the PARCC exam. Each grade and subject has an online document dedicated to providing an overview of the content and structure of the PARCC exam.

PARCC Test NJ Math Task Types

Students will see a variety of question or task types on the test. The PARCC website explains each so there is no need to be surprised!


PARCC Test NJ Blueprint Grade 7 Math

The PARCC website provides an overview of what types of questions students will see on the test. This example shows a blueprint for grade 7 math.

For example, there is a diagram of Math Task Types that teachers can use as a reference to understand what students might be asked to do. After describing the different types of tasks, PARCC shares what percentage of each will make up the test.  This can be used to help teachers understand how much time to spend helping students get a grasp on how to respond to each particular task type.  We’ve used 7th Grade Math as the example here.

2) Standards-Based Teaching and Learning

After looking at the standards and question types, you might want to consider approaching PARCC preparation in a standards-focused way. This brings us to standards-based learning.

Standards-based learning is a hot topic. It’s a trend that you might see continue to grow in the coming years. Standards-based learning  focuses on addressing the topics that students need to know and working through those particular standards until students have mastered the concepts. This method of learning can be powerful because the learning requirements are made clear to students and students can see both which standards they’ve mastered and what standards they’ll need to tackle moving forward.

Digital formative assessment can help teachers facilitate standards-based learning. With questions tied to standards, online platforms such as Edulastic can help teachers pinpoint which standards students have mastered and which standards need to be revisited. It also helps students get immediate feedback so they can understand how they are doing.

3) Practice Test-Taking Endurance

Depending on the grade and subject you teach, your students will be best prepared if they understand how to endure a testing period with multiple units that are up to 90 minutes in duration. The PARCC Test NJ website shares the details about what you can expect for your subject and grade.

PARCC Test NJ Unit Testing Times

Help your students understand how long their test is so they know what they are in for! The PARCC website provides information about the testing length and how it’s split up.

How can you set students up for success? One of the more seemingly obvious ways to do it is to give them a couple tests that mimic the rigor and length of the PARCC exams they’ll be given. You can use the PARCC released items in the Edulastic Item Bank to give them questions they would actually see on the PARCC test.

4) Comfort with Computer Skills

What device will the student be using on testing day? Get that device into your students’ hands so they can garner comfort and confidence using the tool. Make sure they are comfortable typing, navigating the computer, and that they are able to maneuver an online test confidently. Once they have a strong understanding of how to work with a device, they can focus their attention on the content.

With Edulastic practice tests, students can not only build confidence with computer skills, but they can also gain experience working through an online assessment. Completing an online assessment multiple times before getting to the final high-stakes test can help students know what to expect when they get to testing day. From there, sitting down for the PARCC exam will be a little less nerve wracking and just another walk in the park. [Or PARCC… should we say? 😉 ]

5) Support a “Can-Do” Attitude

With a “Can-Do” attitude, you can support student’s development of high self-efficacy which can boost their academic performance. Similar to the growth mindset approach, supporting a positive attitude can help student get into the right mindset for success.

Helping students get into a positive mindset can help them overcome obstacles, face adversity, and avoid the urge to give up. Foster a “can-do” mindset, or even try reading them The Little Engine That Could if they can bare it, and you’ll have students entering the test with the right kind of mantra. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…

In addition to supporting a positive mindset, visualization and discussing challenges can also help prepare students who might arrive at roadblocks. Talk students through how they can stay motivated as the minutes roll by. How can they stay focused? What if they feel antsy? What are the best strategies to work swiftly through a question or what should they do when they get stuck on a question? Having a discussion about these types of questions can help students visualize what they will do when they face challenges during the test. PARCC test NJ.


By empowering students and providing them the right mentality, along with the right skills for success, you are sure to give students the boost they need to be successful on PARCC testing day. You can start by logging into Edulastic and taking advantage of the variety of openly available PARCC practice assessments. Begin by checking out the PARCC practice tests which we’ve featured in this article. Wishing you and your students success as you prep for your PARCC test NJ!

PARCC Test NJ Practice

PARCC Grade 3 ELA 2017 Released Items – Literary Analysis
Facebook-Profile-Pic7 questions  | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 4 ELA 2017 Released Items – Research Simulation
Facebook-Profile-Pic10 questions | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 5 ELA 2017 Released Items – Narrative Writing
Facebook-Profile-Pic9 questions | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 6 ELA 2017 Released Items – Narrative Writing
Facebook-Profile-Pic7 questions | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 7 ELA 2017 Released Items – Narrative Writing
Facebook-Profile-Pic8 questions | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 8 ELA 2017 Released Items – Narrative Writing
Facebook-Profile-Pic7 questions | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 8 ELA 2017 – Literary Analysis
Facebook-Profile-Pic8 questions  | ELA
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 3 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic36 questions  | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 4 Math 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic33 questions | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 5 Math 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic34 questions | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

PARCC Grade 6 Math 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic30 questions | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview | Access

PARCC Grade 7 March 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic28 questions | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview | Access

PARCC Grade 8 Math 2017 Released Items
Facebook-Profile-Pic22 questions | Math
By PARCC Assessments
Preview  | Access

Ready to get started? Log into Edulastic! 

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