The CHS Testing Center (CTC) provides a quiet and secure environment for testing, meetings, and presentations. Throughout the school year, students will be going to the testing center individually or with their classes to take various school- and state-mandated online assessments. In addition, teachers may also submit a request to send students to the lab during classtime or study hall, to make up an assessment; staff members may also request to use a lab on non-testing days to facilitate meetings, host guest speaker presentations, or administer assessments.
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Smarter Balanced Assessment
During the month of April, all 11th graders will be required to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) in mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA). These assessments are aligned to the Hawaii Common Core Standards, and are designed to measure whether students are on track for readiness in college and/or career options. These are mandatory assessments given to students in grades 3-8 and 11.
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Some of the benefits of the SBAC includes:
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Students with passing scores have the opportunity to be placed in Freshmen entry-level courses at a number of colleges and universities, including the University of Hawaii system. This means they can bypass remedial courses, and jump start their college coursework.
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It allows teachers to monitor student progress and help them be more successful during the school year.
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Scores will also provide important information to parents, school and district administrators, and lawmakers--all with the shared goal of helping students become ready for life after high school.
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Back in December/January, 11th graders took the SBAC Interim Assessment (ICA) which served as a "practice" test, and the opportunity for students to see where they stood at that point in the school year. Teachers used scores to determine curriculum/instruction adjustments and to determine what content standards needed to be revisited. For the next few weeks, students should review their ICA test scores and seek additional help from their math and english teachers on the areas they are struggling in.
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For more information about preparing for the mandatory SBAC in mathematics and English, visit the State Assessment Program website.
ACT Plus Writing Test
The Hawaii DOE wants to provide college and career readiness support to all students as they plan their futures after high school. One way to determine student preparedness is through assessment. As a result, all 11th graders will have the opportunity to take the ACT test with writing at school on Tuesday, February 27, 2024​
The ACT with writing is a curriculum-based test that covers learning content for all students based on their academic strengths in English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Your score report will help determine your academic readiness for college. In addition, the score report will also provide career guidance based on your responses to the Student Profile Section and Interest Inventory questions.
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There is no cost to you or your family for this administration, and testing will occur during the school day. You can use the results for admission to many colleges and universities, and ACT will mail your score report to your home three to eight weeks after testing. In addition, if you are not satisfied with your results, you may sign up with act.org to retake it on a national test day.
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In order to help you prepare for the ACT, read the test preparation documents, listed on www.act.org/stateanddistrict/examinees. Click on, "Preparing for the ACT (paper)", which is a comprehensive guide that includes information on what to expect on test day, strategies for preparing for the tests, and practice tests in each subject. 2024 Preparing for the ACT
You should also go over your PreACT score report and answer key that will be distributed on 1/12/24 during Advisory class.
Additional Resources can also be found here: ACT.org Students and Parents Resources
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Click on link to view the ACT Approved Calculator Policy.
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For more information about the ACT with writing, please visit www.actstudent.org.
Distribution of the Spring 2023 Test Results for Smarter Balanced ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Assessments, Biology I EOC, HSA Science, and HSA-Alt
SBAC ELA/Literacy and Mathematics Score Reports will be distributed to 12th graders in their Advisory classes in October. This report details their performance on the state assessments taken in the Spring of 2022. Seniors, you should use this report to complete one of the secondary requirements for your PTP folder--Standardized Test Reflection. The SBAC assessments measured students' understanding of the Hawaii Common Core standards in reading, writing, listening, and mathematics, and all 11th graders were required to take those exams last April. The attached Interpretive Guide will further assist you and your parents understand the Family Report. In addition, you may also visit the Hawaii Starting Smarter website (or https://hi.startingsmarter.org) which provides you with additional resources to better understand your scores.
Remember, if you met or exceeded standards (score of 3 or 4) on the ELA and/or math SBAC, you could possibly be exempt from taking placement exams and enroll directly into entry-level college courses during your first year in college. Over 250 colleges and universities, including all 10 University of Hawaii campuses, use these scores as part of their placement process. This means you could save money and time, by not having to take remedial classes in college.
At the beginning of quarter 2, students will also be receiving their Biology I EOC Exam Results which tested them on their knowledge and skills of Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, HCPS III, and NGSS. Those exams were administered at the end of last school year.
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For more information about these assessments, visit the State Testing Website
Distribution of the Spring 2023 PreACT Student Reports
Juniors who completed the PreACT this past February will be receiving their official PreACT Student Report in their Advisory classes during the 1st quarter. The Student Score Report and Using Your PreACT Results booklet contains a lot of information about your skills, interests, plans, and goals. It goes over in detail, what your scores mean, and what your predicted ACT Score Ranges would be. This booklet also helps you to analyze your results and gives you suggestions on what you need to do to build your skills and knowledge even further. You should use this information to make sure your remaining high school courses are the best ones to help you prepare for college and other options for life after high school.
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All juniors will have the opportunity to take the ACT exam at Castle at the end of February. So if you are not satisfied with your PreACT scores, you still have time to prepare for "the real one" in February. Take time to do the ACT Test Prep activities such as practice tests and study guides, from the ACT website. Don't wait until the last minute.
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For more information about this assessment, read "PreACT: A new way to prepare for the ACT test"
Helpful Test-Prep Websites
Name: March 2 Success
Website: https://march2success.com
Free website which provides you with access to online study materials to help you improve your scores on standardized tests (ACT, SAT), college entrance exams, military entrance exam (ASVAB), and others.
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Name: Khan Academy
Website: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Free website which provides practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empowers you to study at your own pace in and outside of the classroom.
Name: Naviance
Website: https://www.naviance.com
Free website which is designed to help your with college and career planning. You can set future goals, create a professional resume, identify careers of interest, and search for colleges, based on your interests and abilities. They also have an extensive test prep section with numerous practice tests and learning modules.
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