Raising Bar in N.J. Includes Closing Test Loophole

New Jersey leaders have launched a campaign to build support for boosting high school rigor, but some are worried that the effort could produce a higher dropout rate as the state phases out an alternative exam used by nearly 15 percent of its students.

Part of the state’s bid to raise expectations involves scrapping the Special Review Assessment, or SRA, which provides another route to a diploma for students who fail the regular state assessment.

Last year, education leaders at a high school summit convened by then-Gov. Richard J. Codey and Art F. Ryan, an influential New Jersey business executive, concluded that widespread use of the SRA “contributes to the misstatement” of New Jersey’s graduation rate, reported by the state as 91 percent for...