NH SAS Practice Test
Prep for New Hampshire’s SAS Test
With the right preparation, New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS) tests won’t be any reason for stress or anxiety on test day. Not only will your students be well-versed in the content of the test (because, you know, they have a great teacher), but they’ll also be equipped to navigate the virtual testing environment. All it takes is some practice — in a digital environment that mirrors the NH SAS.
Here’s what you need to know about NH SAS and prepping your students for the digital test.
What Is NH SAS?
The New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NH SAS) is a series of tests given to students each spring to measure their progress and mastery of the New Hampshire College and Career Ready Standards (NH CCRS). The NH SAS tests provide insight into whether or not students are matching up to their grade level and on track to finish high school and embark on college and/or careers.
All students, regardless of ability and native language, must participate in the statewide assessments. Data from the results is used by educators to inform future classroom instruction.
NH SAS tests cover the following subjects:
- English language arts (grades 3–8)
- Mathematics (grades 3–8)
- Science (grades 5, 8, 11)
Students in grade 11 also take the SAT with the essay as part of the College Board Digital SAT School Day. The test serves as the statewide assessment for ELA and math for grade 11.
Typically, individual NH SAS test results are available as soon as the student completes the test. Schools send individual student scores home before the school year ends.
For students with significant cognitive disabilities, New Hampshire offers the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Alternate Assessment, which covers the same subjects in the same grades as the NH SAS assessment and the SAT.
English language learners are assessed on their English language proficiency with the ACCESS for ELLs test in Kindergarten through grade 12, or until they achieve high enough proficiency to no longer require support. Those who have significant cognitive disabilities take the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.
All NH SAS tests are delivered digitally. The ELA and math tests are computer-adaptive, so the tests become harder or easier based on the individual student’s answers. The ELA tests consist of two parts, reading and writing, which are administered separately. NH SAS tests are not timed.
Thanks to the virtual testing environment, NH SAS tests offer special features, including the ability to change font size, zoom in and out on text or images, highlight passages, and cross out response options. Students can access the Desmos calculator at certain grade levels, and those who require additional support may be able to access text-to-speech, Braille, and ASL features.
How to Prep Your Students for NH SAS Tests
In order to face the NH SAS tests with confidence, your students need to be familiar with virtual testing technology. This is where virtual test practice comes in. By engaging your students in a virtual testing platform, you provide them opportunities to get familiar with the sort of questions they’ll encounter on the NH SAS tests — while also developing a fluency with the digital tools they’ll use to answer those questions.
From drag-and-drop and graph filling to text response via the computer or tablet keyboard, your students will learn the ins and outs of virtual testing technology — and they won’t be caught off-guard on test day.
For the greatest benefit, have your students practice on the same device they’ll use for the NH SAS test, whether tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. That way, they’ll know exactly how the testing technology interacts with their screen. They’ll learn how to navigate from question to question and use the technology to their advantage, so the NH SAS tests will be just another way to show off everything they’ve learned.
Practice for NH SAS Tests in Pear Assessment
To make NH SAS test practice as easy as possible, Pear Assessment has already uploaded practice test content into our Edulastic Public Library. All you have to do is sign up for a free account, and you’ll be able to welcome your students into a testing environment that mimics the look and feel of the NH SAS tests.
Want to create or assemble your NH SAS practice tests? No problem. Pick from an item bank of thousands of standards-aligned questions and either assign right away to students, or customize to meet your classwork or individual class needs. From the Pear Assessment Live Class Board or Standards Mastery Report you’ll be able to see how students did. With that performance data, you’ll know how to best support student learning and what to expect on the official exam day.
A few practice sessions and your students will be well on their way to state testing mastery.
Ready to get started?
Join Pear Assessment for FREE to practice for SAS tests
Resources:
- https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-learner-support/bureau-of-instructional-support/office-of-assessment
- https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/sonh/2021-2022nhassessmentschedule.pdf
- https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/sonh/parent-notification-assessment-letter_0.pdf
- https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/sonh/nhsas-v5-tech-report-2018-2019.pdf
