ATTENTION PARENTS!
NEW HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENT,
SCHEDULE CHANGE IN MARCH-APRIL
Dear Parents,
Washington state has a new high school test, now called the
High School
Proficiency Exam
(HSPE).
What is the same about the newly named tests?
Although the name is new, there are many similarities to the former
WASL
tests
high school students took in the past:
This new test measures how well students are learning and meeting
academic standards. These are the same standards and skills that
teachers have been helping students meet and learn since elementary
school.
To graduate, students must still meet standard on the Reading and Writing
portions of the tests.
To graduate, students must meet standard on the Math portion of the
assessment, or continue to take and pass additional math classes.
To earn a
Certificate of Academic Achievement
, students must meet
standard on the Reading, Writing and Math portions of the assessment.
What is different about the newly named tests
is the length. Test schedules
will be shorter. Reading, Math and Science tests will take one day. The Writing
test is the only assessment that will still take two days.
State test rules exclude ninth graders from taking the test
. This state rule
means that high schools must change the school schedule on testing day as not
all students will be involved in the HSPE.
Here’s how that will work:
All tenth-grade students, and students in grades 11 or 12 who have not
yet met standard on any of the state tests are required to take the
HSPE in March and April on the following schedule:
Reading:
March 16
7:30 – 11:00
Writing 1:
March 17
7:30 – 11:00
Writing 2:
March 18
7:30 – 11:00
Math* April 13 7:30 – 11:00
Science*
April 15
7:30 – 11:00
*
optional for grades 11 and 12
On test days, school will start on time for those taking tests.
Students not taking the tests have two options on test days:
1. Arrive at school at 11:00 a.m., or
2. *Take advantage of the following options for additional academic
help:
Grade 12
– Beginning at 7:30 a.m., seniors will have time and
help to work on their Culminating Exhibitions – a graduation
requirement.
Grades 9 – 12
– Beginning at 7:30 a.m., students not “on track”
in their classes will have time and help to work on their course
materials.
*Students not taking the tests and who are struggling with class work, a CE or
are behind in credits required to graduate will be strongly advised to take
advantage of these testing days to receive extra help.
School buses will be available for students on HSPE testing days.
School buses will run on their regular routes on testing days AND will run 3.5
hours later to pick up students who do not need to be at school until 11:00 a.m.