HSAP

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(courtesy of Giacobazzi,2000)

HSAP

The High School Assessment Progrom (HSAP) is the new test students must pass in order to receive a high school diploma in South Carolina. This test is replacing the Exit Exam. All current ninth graders will have to pass HSAP in order to receive a high school diploma. While I have tried to put as much information on this website to help parents and students as possible, if you have further questions, please visit the S.C. State Department of Education website for more information.

HSAP Standards:
The following standards are what is tested on the English Language Arts portion of the HSAP.

Reading

	The student will integrate various cues and strategies to comprehend what he or she reads.
	The student will use knowledge of the purposes, structures, and elements of writing to analyze and interpret text.
	The student will apply knowledge of word analysis strategies to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading material and use them correctly.

Writing

The student will use a process approach to write for a variety of purposes.

Research

The student will select a topic for exploration, gather information from a variety of sources, and use a variety of strategies to prepare and present the information.

Types of Questions found on HSAP

Multiple-choice items with four options apiece will assess content in Reading, Writing, and Research.

Constructed-Response items will prompt students to write answers to reading questions. One lined page will be provided for the student’s response to each prompt, and only that page will be scored. The student does not have to fill the page to get a top score.

Extended-Response items will prompt students to write a longer response to a writing topic. Three lined pages will be provided for the student’s response. The student does not have to fill all three pages to get a top score, but should write enough to demonstrate his or her best writing

HSAP Test Outline

This is a more specific breakdown of the test. These skills will be what directly guides our instruction throughout the year.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have questions, this link may be helpful. It also includes the mathematics portion of HSAP.

For Parents

I often get asked, "What can I do to help my child the most?" What will help students the most is getting them to read and write and to talk about what they are reading and writing. Have them read the newspaper out loud, discuss what they are reading in their history classes, etc. Be sure they look up words they do not know. Let them use common references such as the phone book or the T.V. Guide. Have them write letters or thank you notes to friends and relatives. Anything they do that makes them read, write, use words, etc. will help them improve.

The second thing is to make sure students do their homework every day. I do not assign "busywork." Everything we do is directly connected in some way to HSAP.

Also, try to learn what your child's strengths and weaknesses are and use the information on this website to help them them get better in those areas. For example, if they have trouble with details, read the newspaper and then have them answer questions about what happened first, who the story was about, etc.

Please contact me if there is anything I can do to help!

Anderson School District Five
         T.L. Hanna High School
         Web Page Author: Mary Nell Anthony
   "We never know how high we are until we are called to rise." --Emily Dickinson