The following sample problems and tutorials are designed to help New Jersey educators, as well as high school students, prepare for the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) in Mathematics and LAL:
Math – http://www.state.nj.us/education/njpep/assessment/hspa/hspa_math/index.htm
LAL – http://www.state.nj.us/education/njpep//assessment/hspa/hspa_la/index.htm
“Give a student a question to answer and she will learn the passage she has just read. Teach her how to ask questions, and she will learn how to learn for the rest of her life” (Gavelek & Raphael). A powerful way to improve student achievement is to teach students how to ask questions through the use of generic question stems. Students can use question stems to form their own questions. Here are some examples:
How are…and…alike?
What is the main idea of …?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of …?
How does ….affect…?
How does…tie in with what we have learned before?
How is…related to…?
What conclusions can you draw about…?
What is a new example of …?
Why is it important that…?
(Walsh & Sattes)
The above bar graphs show Pennsauken’s and Gloucester Township’s junior class performance on the HSPA baseline assessment given the week of 9/27/10. The baseline is designed to measure students’ abilities prior to instruction that year. Note that each school has different subgroups, depending on the school’s population. The purple line represents the 65% score that is the target for a passing benchmark score, not the HSPA (passing on the HSPA is 200). The black line represents the average student score across the district.
PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT REGARDING HSPA TESTING NEXT WEEK!
Hello Juniors,
HSPA Testing is next week. Some students do not hear the morning announcements and this is critical information for next week’s testing. We need you to familiarize yourself with the following information:
· It is important the students get a good night’s rest, eat breakfast and come to school on time.
· All students are to report to their test location immediately following homeroom on March 1, 2 and 3.
· Students will need a graphing calculator on Tuesday, March 1 for the math portion.
· Test site No No’s : No cell phones, ipods, electronic devices, backpacks, food, beverages, pens or highlighters. Every year a student gets their test voided, because they bring a cell phone.
-Ms. Cetrullo
Guidance Director
