What is HSAP?
The High School Assessment Program (HSAP) meets both federal and state requirements. It meets the requirement of the South Carolina Education Accountability Act (EAA) of 1998 that each public school student pass an exit examination to receive a South Carolina high school diploma. The test is also used to measure students' academic achievement on high school standards in accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLBA).
The HSAP assesses selected South Carolina academic standards in English language arts and mathematics that students have had opportunity to learn by the end of the tenth grade. The standards assessed on the HSAP are outlined in the HSAP ELA Test Blueprint and HSAP Math Test Blueprint.
Who takes HSAP?
Students take the HSAP test in the Spring of their second year of high school. If the student does not pass any part of the HSAP, he may take the parts failed again beginning the following Fall. Alternate assessments are available for students depending on his or her age and individual education programs or 504 plans.
The student's individual test scores on the HSAP will be used as a criterion for meeting high school graduation requirements. Students will be given multiple opportunities, if needed, to pass the HSAP test(s). For more information please refer to the student brochure.
Spring group test results will be used to report adequate yearly progress (AYP) for each school and each district.
What does the HSAP measure?
The HSAP is based on the South Carolina Curriculum Standards for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics that teachers use in classroom instruction.
The English language arts examination consists of multiple-choice and constructed-response items and an extended-response writing item. Students may use dictionaries only during the extended-response writing portion of the examination.
The mathematics test consists of multiple-choice items and three constructed-response items that require students to show their work to support their answers. Students may choose to use calculators while taking any part of the mathematics examination.