Tutoring in New Jersey
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in New Jersey, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
New Jersey replaced its spring tests with computer-adaptive versions in 2026, so the names now end in an A. NJSLA-A covers English language arts in grades 3 through 9 and math in grades 3 through 8, then switches to course tests in Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II. Science is a separate NJSLA test in grades 5, 8 and 11, and it is not adaptive. Districts choose their days inside a state window that runs from April 19 to May 21 in 2027. Juniors have one more test, and it comes earlier. The NJGPA-A, given in March, checks tenth grade English along with Algebra I and Geometry, and it is the state graduation test.
What New Jersey tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | Not tested | NJGPA-A | Not tested |
| Math | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | NJSLA-A | Not tested | Not tested | NJGPA-A | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | Not tested | NJSLA Science | Not tested | Not tested | NJSLA Science | Not tested | Not tested | NJSLA Science | Not tested |
- NJSLA-A (New Jersey Student Learning Assessments-Adaptive): reading and writing, grades 3 through 9
- NJSLA-A: math, grades 3 through 8
- NJSLA Science (New Jersey Student Learning Assessment for Science): science, grades 5, 8 and 11
- NJGPA-A (New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment-Adaptive): reading and writing, math, grade 11
- Main testing window
- mid-April to late May, with the grade 11 graduation test in March
- Standards
- New Jersey Student Learning Standards
- Exams tied to a course
- Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II (NJSLA-A Mathematics)
The substitute-test and portfolio routes to a diploma are open only to students who sat the NJGPA-A in eleventh grade, so a junior who skips the March test loses the fallbacks too. Retakes are offered the following summer and fall.
Is there a graduation test in New Jersey?
Yes. A student must score Graduation Ready on both the English and math parts of the NJGPA-A in grade 11, or, after sitting it, meet a cut score on a substitute test such as the SAT, ACT, PSAT or ACCUPLACER, or have the district submit a portfolio appeal.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for NJSLA-A. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.