BSTAccountability Programs :

The Basic Skills Tests (BSTs) are tests of reading, mathematics and writing that students who entered grade 8 in 2004-05 or earlier must pass to receive a diploma from a public high school. These reading and mathematics tests were first administered to these students when they were eighth graders and the writing test when they were tenth graders. In 2008-2009, students can retest four times in reading and mathematics and three times in writing (see 2008-2009 Testing Schedule in Related Links). Starting in 2009-2010, there will be two retests for the reading and mathematics BSTs and three for the writing BST (see 2009-2010 BST Retest Schedule below).

Students entering grade 8 in 2005-06 or later do not take the BSTs. Instead, they take the Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD) tests: writing in grade 9, reading in grade 10 and mathematics in grade 11 (for more information see GRAD Tests in Related Links).