Every March, St. James students in grades 2-8 take the Terra Nova standardized achievement tests. Children in the 3rd, 5th and 7th grades also take the In View ability test. The In View provides a measure of the children's ability, similar to an IQ test. Terra Nova measures the students' achievement (i.e., how much they have learned) relative to national standards. Both tests are published by CBT - McGraw Hill and are taken by students in public and parochial schools across the United States, as well as by students enrolled in all Department of Defense Dependents Schools.

Georgia public schools take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) to see how they are doing relative to national standards. They also take the Criteria Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) to see if they have met Georgia Performance Standards. Students in all diocesan schools took the ITBS tests prior to 2002, but in 2003 a diocesan committee decided it was time to refresh the testing process by switching to Terra Nova.

The total scores for all grades at St. James in 2007 show that our students have attained knowledge well above the national average. It is even more exciting to know that our students' Terra Nova results consistently surpass their anticipated scores as indicated by the In View Test. This means that they achieve a level of learning higher than what their ability tests predict. And that means that St. James is doing a fantastic job getting our children to do better than their best!