Maryland High School Assessments
Encyclopedia
The Maryland High School Assessments (HSA) are standardized tests that measure school and individual student progress toward the High School Core Learning Goals of the U.S. state
of Maryland
, which were established after passing of the No Child Left Behind Act
. Passing the HSA is one of several graduation requirements beginning with the graduating class of 2009. The assessments consist of four timed exams, which are English
2 (or English 10), Biology
, Algebra
/Data Analysis, and American Government
. The exams are usually held at the end of their corresponding courses. Each of the exams contains both multiple choice and written response questions. As of 2009, Maryland has eliminated written response and made it a long series of multiple choices. This test is considered by many students to be easy, and some think that it places to much emphasis on just a few topics.
There are two ways for a student to pass the HSA. One way is to earn the passing score on each exam. The passing scores for the four HSAs are
In addition, a student may still be eligible for graduation if he/she does not meet the passing score. This combined-score option requires that they earn at least a minimum score on all four HSAs, and that the sum of the scores be at least 1602. The minimum scores for the four HSAs are
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, which were established after passing of the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. Passing the HSA is one of several graduation requirements beginning with the graduating class of 2009. The assessments consist of four timed exams, which are English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
2 (or English 10), Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
/Data Analysis, and American Government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
. The exams are usually held at the end of their corresponding courses. Each of the exams contains both multiple choice and written response questions. As of 2009, Maryland has eliminated written response and made it a long series of multiple choices. This test is considered by many students to be easy, and some think that it places to much emphasis on just a few topics.
There are two ways for a student to pass the HSA. One way is to earn the passing score on each exam. The passing scores for the four HSAs are
- English - 396
- Algebra/Data Analysis - 412
- Biology - 400
- Government - 394
In addition, a student may still be eligible for graduation if he/she does not meet the passing score. This combined-score option requires that they earn at least a minimum score on all four HSAs, and that the sum of the scores be at least 1602. The minimum scores for the four HSAs are
- English - 386
- Algebra/Data Analysis - 402
- Biology - 391
- Government - 387