Hawaii State Assessment: Parent Information Booklet

HSA Q&A

Q: Why is my child being tested?

• In 1999 the Hawaii State Department of Education established learning expectations, known as the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, for Hawaii’s students. These high academic standards give students clear achievement goals and help guide instruction in the schools.
• These standards identify important ideas, concepts, and skills students must learn and describe what students must do to show their mastery of the standards. The Hawaii State Assessment measures how well students are doing on the reading and mathematics standards.
• State and federal laws require annual testing of students in reading and mathematics. In compliance with these laws, the Hawaii State Assessment provides clear information on how well your child is meeting these standards.

Q: When will I receive my child’s test scores?

• Your child will be tested in the spring. You will receive your child’s individual scores for reading and mathematics from the school during the fall

Q: What types of scores will my child receive?

• Your child will receive stanine and percentile rank scores for the Stanford Achievement Test’s Reading and Mathematics sections. These scores will provide a national comparison with thousands of other students in the same grade who took the test at the same time and under the same testing conditions as your child.
• Your child will also receive proficiency level scores for reading and mathematics that indicate how well he or she is meeting Hawaii’s standards.

Q: What types of questions are on the Hawaii State Assessment?

• For the two Stanford Achievement Test sections (Reading and Mathematics), your child is asked to answer multiple-choice questions.
• For the Hawaii standards sections, your child is asked to answer two types of questions: multiple-choice questions that are similar to the ones in the Stanford Achievement Test sections and questions that require a written response. In the reading section, some questions may require that your child write a sentence or two, and some questions may require that your child write a paragraph. In the mathematics section, some questions may require that your child create a graph, diagram, or data table, or show his or her calculations.

Q: How can I prepare my child for the tests?

• You can best help by providing the consistent day-to-day support that will help your child do well in school every day—adequate sleep, a nourishing breakfast, completed homework, and daily attendance. The Hawaii State Assessment is aimed at determining how well your child is meeting the academic standards, which are comprehensive in nature and will cover more than what your child could learn in a few hours of studying or overnight cramming.

Test Yourself

Reading

1. Grade 3 Multiple-Choice Reading Question