Established in 1965, the NVCJA provides training for over 25 criminal justice jurisdictions in the Northern Virginia area. Staffed with 32 full-time employees, the academy has a leadership cadre of six executives, all of whom are former police officers. The academy provides both recruit and inservice training for participating police departments and sheriff's offices in the region. The NVCJA developed and uses the Student Testing and Records (STAR) System. This system has four components: optical mark reader which automatically scores exams and feeds raw data directly into the computer; additional software which provides both data base and spreadsheet capabilities; an IBM compatible personal computer; and a laser printer for letter quality reports. Although the system cost less than $5,000, the academy's curriculum manager is able to better manage the basic training curriculum in terms of State-mandated performance objectives. Procedures for constructing, administering, and scoring tests are detailed, along with procedures for generating reports and maintaining security.