North juniors glad NECAPs are done – for now

As the air grew cooler and the leaves began to fall, juniors at Nashua High School North knew it was only a matter of time until it was their turn to once again participate in the New England Common Assessment Program. Most North juniors aren’t strangers to the NECAPs, a series of standardized tests given twice a year to students in grades 3, 8 and 11. The test, administered since 2005, was developed in response to the Federal No Child Left Behind initiative. Students in Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire all have been sitting down to take the NECAPs this fall. In the last two weeks, North juniors took the mathematics, writing and reading portions of the NECAPs; in the spring, they’ll take the science portion of the test. Students who took the NECAPs in previous years earned scores relative to their grade-level expectations. In each section, test-takers score in one of four categories: “proficient with distinction,” “proficient,” “partially proficient” and “substantially below  proficient.” Each portion of the NECAP includes a variety of questions that span from multiple choice to short answer and endeavor to test students’ proficiency. As in years past, many North juniors felt the pressure brought on by the early hours – each session of NECAP testing is over by 10 a.m.