Notification of Standardized Testing

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Each year, students in grades 3 through 8 participate in the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS) [OR Each year, students in grade 11 participate in the College Board School Day SAT and NH SAS science assessment].  Students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities are eligible to take the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Assessment, as designed in their active individualized education program (IEP).  Please click on the link below for the assessment window:

https://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/assessment/documents/2018_19_nh_assessment_calendar.pdf

This year, your child will take the following assessments, depending on their grade level:

  • NH SAS for English language arts/writing and mathematics in grades 3 through 8
  • DLM for English language arts/writing and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and 11
  • NH SAS for science in grades 5, 8, and 11
  • DLM for science in grade 5, 8 and 11
  • College Board School Day -SAT English language arts/reading/writing and mathematics grade 11

Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 1111(b)(2) and New Hampshire law, RSA 193-C:6 requires each school district in the State to implement a set of high-quality academic assessments that includes, at a minimum, assessments in mathematics, reading/language arts and science to be administered in each of grades 3-8 and not less than once during grades 10-12; and in science not less than once during grades 3-5, grades 6-9, and grades 10-12. Furthermore, ESSA sections 1111(b)(2)(B) require State assessments to be the “same academic assessments used to measure the achievement of all public elementary school and secondary school students in the State,” and provide for the participation in such assessments to all students.

State assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program. They provide one measure of evaluation of student mastery of content and skills in various academic areas, serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and be college- and career-ready, and help inform future instruction in the classroom in compasin with other local means of assessment to broaden the understanding of a learner's understanding.  Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local assessments, state assessment results give teachers and you, the parents, important information about where students are on their path toward academic success. If you choose to exempt your student from the state assessment (permitted in RSA 193-C:6), you must submit a form to the school the student attends. Please contact your child's principal to receive a copy of the exemption form. Please understand that if you choose to exempt your student from the assessment, no scores or summary of individual student performance, based on the statewide assessment, will be provided to you or your student. 

The anticipated impact of testing time necessary for the NH SAS and School Day SAT are as follows:

Grades 3-8

NH SAS for ELA/Writing/ Mathematics (hours)

DLM for ELA/Writing

Mathematics (minutes)

English Language Arts/Reading

2:00

30 - 45 minutes

English Language Arts/Writing

1:30

30 – 45 minutes

Mathematics

2:00

35 – 60 minutes

 

 

Grades 5, 8, 11

NH SAS for Science (hours)

DLM for Science (minutes)

Science

2:00

45 – 135 minutes

 

 

Grade 11

NH School Day SAT (hours)

DLM (minutes)

English Language Arts/Reading/Writing*and Mathematics

*Essay is required of all test takers in  in the 2019 school year.

4:40

Same as listed above for ELA/Reading, ELA/Writing, Mathematics and Science

 

Student results for the NH SAS (reading/writing, mathematics and science) are generally available within ten days of test completion.  Kearsarge School District will send a student’s Individual Score Report home prior to the first parent conference date after receiving results, in hopes that this information will be reviewed together with teachers to help inform parents of their child's educational progress.  Should a parent desire to review this information prior to the conference date, please contact your child's principal to obtain a copy of the report.  

School Day SAT results will be available to students in early May. Students may retrieve their results through their personal SAT account.

DLM scores will be released to districts in early July. Schools will then send home to each family the Individual Score Report for each student who took the DLM assessment as soon as possible upon receiving the results.

Parents may access training tests for the NH SAS by going to the portal at https://nh.portal.airast.org/training-tests.stml.

If you have any questions related to this assessment administration, you may contact your child's principal.