Students in New Hampshire will not be alone when they will take their new state mathematics and reading tests. Their fellow students in Rhode Island and Vermont will be taking the same exams along with them. This article reports that New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont have joined forces to create reading and math tests in grades 3-8. They have also jointly developed writing tests in grades 5 and 8. State officials said that they have devised better tests at lesser costs when they pooled expertise and resources. The project costs just $7 million a year for all three states combined over the life of the states' five-year contract with a commercial test-maker.