The administration of the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) in the Trenton (New Jersey) School District and the impact of a voluntary summer tutorial program on HSPT scores were examined. New Jersey requires that all ninth graders take the HSPT, and that all school districts achieve a 75 percent passing rate to become state-certified. The same rate is required for testing in grades 3 and 6. The Trenton district, a large, urban, low socioeconomic status district, set up a summer tutorial program in reading, writing, and mathematics to improve HSPT scores. The program was funded by New Jersey's Operation School Renewal program. Students who completed the program were tested again along with the other ninth graders. Pass rates for tutorial vs. non-tutorial students were 67.6 vs. 47.6 percent in reading; 58.1 vs. 36.2 percent in mathematics; and 65.4 vs. 43.3 percent in writing. Tutorial students' mean scores were significantly higher than the non-tutorial students. Although the tutorial students' mean scores were above the passing scores in all subjects, 75 percent of the students did not achieve beyond the state standard. However, the pass rates were higher than for the whole student body, meaning the at risk students outperformed those students not at risk. (JGL)