Standardized Testing

USJ uses testing to ascertain both student and school performance in reference to peers. Standardized tests are usually given in the spring to every grade level, starting with the Otis Lennon School Ability Test for second graders. This intelligence test is given again in fifth and eighth grades. ERB tests, which specifically test the amount of verbal and quantitative skills retained in the classroom, are given in grades three through eight.

Starting in eighth grade, USJ starts preparing students for college admissions testing. Eighth graders take the EXPLORE test, which is based on the ACT and designed specifically for this age group. Ninth and tenth graders take the PLAN, while 10th and 11th graders take the PSAT. The latter is formulated from the SAT and is used to identify juniors who qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. In their junior year, students collectively register for and then take both the ACT and the SAT tests.