State Testing 2023-2024
February 21, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardian:
Each year, students in grades 3 through 8 participate in the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS) and students in grade 11 participate in the College Board School Day SAT and NH SAS science assessment. 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
- NH SAS for science in grades 5, 8, and 11
- College Board School Day - SAT English language arts/reading/writing and mathematics grade 11
This year, the NH Department of Education is making adjustments to the Writing portion of the NHSAS precipitating the need to hand score every student assessment. As a result, all students in grades 3-8 will take the Writing portion of the NHSAS assessment between March 4-15, 2024. Your child’s school will send out specific schedules for this assessment before February break. Students in grades 3-8 will complete the NHSAS Reading and Math assessments between April 1-19, specific schedules will be sent out in mid March. More details about testing days will be sent out prior to testing from your child’s school. NHSAS Science for grades 5 and 8 will be administered between May 6-10. Students in Grade 11 will take the SAT on March 26 during school hours, and the NHSAS in June. Learn more about the state accountability testing system, including average test times and an FAQ.
State assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program. They provide an 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. 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 an exemption form to the school the student attends. Please contact your school’s principal to receive a copy of the exemption form. 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.
Student results for the NH SAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. Parents will now be able to view NH SAS student results through the Family Portal. Parents can access the Family Portal by visiting New Hampshire’s assessment portal at: https://nh-familyportal.cambiumast.com. Codes for the portal will be sent home once testing is complete. Upon request, the local school will send a printed copy of the student’s Individual Score Report (ISR) home before the end of the school year.
School Day SAT results will be available to students in early May. Students may retrieve their results through their personal SAT account. Schools will not send home SAT score reports, they come directly from the College Board.
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). 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.
If you have any questions related to this assessment administration, you may contact Principal Gary Dempsey or Assistant Superintendent of SAU 24 Natasha Kolehmainen. Thank you for supporting your child and encouraging them to do their best during this assessment administration.