Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment

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The Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment (abbreviated GEPA and pronounced "geh-puh")' is given to all New Jersey public-schooled students in March of their eighth grade year. It is often known as the "preparation test" for the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), which has similar rules and information.

Together with the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) administered in grades 3-7 and the HSPA (High School Proficiency Assessment) given to students in eleventh grade, the GEPA is part of a battery of tests used to assess student performance in New Jersey's public schools.

It consists of 3 major parts which are Science, Math, and Language Arts.

The test was first administered in 1991 as the Early Warning Test (EWT). In 1999, it became GEPA.

The highest a student can receive is Advanced Proficient, which is achieved by getting a score of 250 or higher. This is followed by Proficient (achieved by a majority of non-special needs students), anywhere between 200 and 250. Finally, the lowest is Partially Proficient, which is below 200.^[1].

Alternate Proficiency Assessment (APA) is a portfolio-based assessment method used to measure academic progress for students with severe disabilities who are unable to participate in the standardized assessment tests. The APA is given to a student in each content area where the student's disability is so severe that the student is not receiving instruction in the skill being measured and the student cannot complete any of the types of questions on the assessment in a content area even with appropriate changes and accommodations.

In 2008, the GEPA is being phased out in favor of a new version known as the NJ ASK 8. The new test will include changes from the original version, such as the deletion of the picture prompt.