Dear Parent/Guardian:
Each year, New Hampshire public schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability law (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. To fulfill these requirements, we utilize several assessments. We encourage all students to participate. Federal law requires 95% participation rates.
For the current academic year, students will participate in the following assessments based on their grade level:
ACCESS for English Language Learners (Late January-March)
NH SAS for English language arts/writing and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 (April-May)
NH SAS for science in grades 5, 8, and 11 (April-May)
College Board School Day SAT for English language arts/reading/writing and mathematics in grade 11 (April 1, 2, and 3, 2025)
You may find your child’s specific testing dates on the school website at the end of February.
These statewide assessments play a crucial role in a student's educational journey, serving multiple purposes:
Evaluation of student mastery in core academic areas
Measurement of progress toward high school graduation and college- and career-readiness
Informing future instructional strategies in the classroom
Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays, and local formative and summative assessments, statewide summative assessment results provide teachers and parents with important information about where students are on their path toward academic success. They also provide information on how to best support learning recovery.
Results:
NH SAS: Student results for the NH SAS are generally available immediately upon the student completing the test. Parents can now view NH SAS student results through the Family Portal with an access code. Please contact your student’s school to request an access code for the Family Portal. All reports will be sent home with the student's end-of-year report card. The Writing Assessment will not be available until June.
SAT: School Day results will be available in May and June. Students can access their scores with a College Board student account.
DLM Alternate Assessment and ACCESS/Alternate: Your student’s case manager or teacher should provide ACCESS test results. Please contact the school directly with questions on when to expect to receive these results.
Practice Test
Parents may access NH SAS practice tests by visiting the NH SAS assessment portal at Students and Families.
College Board offers a range of SAT practice opportunities. Students who use the SAT practice tests are eligible for scholarships: SAT Practice and Preparation – SAT Suite | College Board.
DLM provides resources for parents to support student learning.
Learn about the ACCESS online test platform and see the type of questions students will see on the test.
For more details about our statewide assessments, please visit the Office of Assessment webpage.
Feel free to contact your child’s principal or Leslie Whitney, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, if you have questions regarding the State Assessment.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chmiel, Ed.D.,
Superintendent of Schools