BY KATHLEEN CARROLL
THE RECORD

The SRA, the alternative high school graduation exam that has been criticized as a much-abused back door to a diploma, will continue to be offered to New Jersey high school students.

The state Board of Education unanimously voted to continue administering the Special Review Assessment, reversing a 2005 decision to eliminate the exam. Students are eligible to take the SRA after they fail the standard High School Proficiency Assessment, or HSPA; 12 percent of New Jersey graduates earned their diplomas via the SRA last year.

However, test dates and scoring are subject to new restrictions, and board members said they would require quarterly reports on how many students were participating. The state has criticized districts for letting too many students take the exam. Districts where more than 10 percent of students graduate via the SRA will have to submit plans to the state to lower that number.

READ MORE: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Board_approves_alternative_graduation_test.html

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