How to Prepare for the HSPT®

As with any standardized test, taking the High School Placement Test (HSPT®) can be a rather anxious, but also, exciting experience for students and their parents. For many children it is a time to see how much knowledge has been learned/remembered from the previous year. For the junior/senior high school student, it is a time to see which high school/college will be right for them.

As the HSPT® Program Coordinator and Customer Service person here at STS, I receive many phone calls throughout the day from schools who have questions about our various tests. In addition, I regularly receive phone calls from parents inquiring on how to prepare for the HSPT®. While there are options for the high schools (practice tests and/or Pre-HSPT® test available), I explain another option to parents. Besides “do your best”, “take your time”, “take your best guess when you don’t know”, and any other cliché you can think of, there are books available at your local bookstore. Research & Education Association, along with Barron’s, have the “COOP/HSPT” or “COOP & HSPT” test preparation book, which is available for them to purchase for a review.

Testing more than likely will always be a part of our educational system. The more adults encourage children to perform to the best of their ability, the more relaxed and confident the students will become when it comes to taking tests or even taking the next step in whatever undertaking is available/required. The continued support of schools and parents will help ensure that STS is providing the best we can for our students which also enables all of us to live better lives, have better tomorrows, and look forward to a great future.

Jeanne Lively
HSPT® Program Coordinator

HSPT® SCORE RESULTS’ DISTRIBUTION

With the beginning of a new year, many parents may be wondering on their child’s HSPT® results. While many assume that the HSPT® score distribution system is similar to college entrance exams, like the SAT and ACT, it is actually quite different. There is no national coding system for the HSPT®.

Many high schools test independently, so the results for the students that test there are sent only to that location. In some geographic regions, a cooperative of high schools test collectively, often under the direction of a Catholic diocesan education department. In these cases, students may be presented with the option of sending their scores to several different high schools by coding them on their answer sheet on that test day. In addition, answer sheets need to be correctly coded to ensure that the results are sent to the appropriate school(s).

When testing in a cooperative program, the scoring of test results is often delayed until all schools answer sheets are in. When the scoring center has completed the scoring, results are then sent back to the school where the child tested and the school(s) the child coded. Whether the school tests individually or cooperatively, the act of distributing test results to students and their families are always determined by the school or diocese. Therefore, many times results are not sent directly to their home.

If you have not yet received a copy of your test results and you believe you should have, or if you need to have your scores sent to another high school, the first step is always to contact the school where the child tested. Since the schools and dioceses determine their own score distribution system, we cannot send results to a student or parent.

Happy New Year!

Jeanne Lively
HSPT® Program Coordinator

Distribution of HSPT® Scores

At this time of year, many 8th graders and their families are making final decisions about which high school they will attend for the following school year. If your prospective high school uses the HSPT® as a part of their admissions process, then making sure your HSPT® scores get where they need to be is a big concern.

While many assume that the HSPT® score distribution system is similar to college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT, it is actually quite different. There is no national coding system for the HSPT®. Many high schools test independently, so the results for the students that test there are sent only to that location. In some geographic regions, a cooperative of high schools test collectively, often under the direction of a Catholic diocesan education department. In these cases, students may be presented with the option of sending their scores to several different high schools by coding them on their answer sheet on test day.

Whether your high school tests individually or cooperatively, the distribution of test results to students and their families is always determined by the school or diocese.

If you have not yet received a copy of your test scores, and you believe you should have, or if you need to have your scores sent to another high school, the first step is always to contact the high school where you or your student tested. Because the schools and dioceses determine their own score distribution systems, we can never send results to a student unless the request is made by the school or diocese that administered the test to the student.

STS congratulates all graduating 8th graders on the upcoming completion of their elementary education and wishes them the best of luck as they embark on the adventure of an enriching high school education at any one of the excellent high schools that utilize the HSPT® as a part of their admissions process.