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MAINE HIGH SCHOOL ASSESSMENT (including The Maine SAT Initiative)

The official MHSA SAT administration date for the 2012 -’13 school year is Saturday, May 4, 2013. 

The MHSA Science Tests must be administered during a two-week window which begins Monday, March 25th and closes Friday, April 5, 2013.

*Maine’s Transition to the Common Core State Standards:  High School Assessment Plan* - NEW

In the spring of 2011, Maine formally adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts and Mathematics: http://www.corestandards.org/.  A gradual 3-year phase-in of the CCSS has just begun across all Maine schools.  Based on alignment studies documenting that the questions used on the SAT reflect the expectations of the CCSS, the MDOE will continue to administer the SAT as the state’s high school accountability measure through the spring of 2014.  Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, Maine will transition its current ELA and Mathematics assessment program to the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC): http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/, for all grades 3-8 and high school.  The state’s Science assessment program will not be affected by the SBAC transition.    

NECAP Transition to the Common Core - PDF

 

 

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Beginning with the spring administration in 2006, all Maine high school juniors, including all students in their 3rd year of high school, will be required to take SAT tests in critical reading, writing, and mathematics. This new policy encourages all Maine students to engage in instruction and assessment that is intended to raise expectations and to increase readiness for college or other post secondary opportunities; is consistent with the high expectations for student achievement expressed in Maine’s Learning Results; and supports the emerging PreK-16 College Ready Initiative already underway as a joint effort of the University System and the Maine Department of Education. These initiatives are essential to ensure that Maine students are as well prepared as possible to succeed in our increasingly complex state, national and world economy.

A program of preparation and assessment that includes both Preliminary SAT (PSAT) and SAT tests is being made available to all Maine students. Students will receive standard SAT reports and official scores that they may use as they apply to colleges both in Maine and nationally. All colleges using SAT results in their admission process will accept the scores. In addition to the student reports, school administrative units will receive reports of student performance necessary to meet state and federal requirements.


The SAT is seen by a majority of students as their passport for the next step toward adulthood, so the motivation to do well is very high. The College Board SAT tests are a fair measure of our Learning Results expectations and therefore the performance results produced will provide a fair reflection of our students’ achievement of Maine’s rigorous Learning Results expectations. The continuing challenge for all of us is to implement effective strategies, such as using the SAT as Maine’s high school assessment, that raise expectations for all students, and prepare them for success.

 

The Relationship Between the Traditional College Board Score Scale (200-800) and the MHSA Score Scale (1100-1180) with Associated Conversion Tables. -PDF