Science Assessment
The science assessments are designed to measure students’ attainment of the performance expectations laid out in the Next Generation Science Standards. The NGSS assessments at each grade include six item clusters (a stimulus and a series of questions that generally take students 6-12 minutes to complete) and 12 stand-alone items (shorter, generally takes 2-3 minutes to complete). More information on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Additional information for students and families are available at the HSA Science portal.
| Grade(s) or Track(s) | Number of Opportunities* | TESTING WINDOW | |
| Open | Close | ||
| 5 and 8 | 2 | 01/07/25 | 05/30/25 |
| 5 and 8 multi-track schools | 2 | 01/07/25 | 06/13/25* |
* Subject to change.
End-of-Course Exam
End-of-course (EOC) exams assess student proficiency in specific course content standards, help inform instruction, and standardize expectations in Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology I and U.S. History. These exams are administered online during the final three weeks of the course, with students allowed to take the test once within this period (a second attempt may be permitted on a case-by-case basis).
Among these, only the Biology I exam is mandatory. It evaluates student proficiency based on the Next Generation Science Standards and is required for all students enrolled in Biology I, as part of Hawai‘i’s statewide assessment under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The EOC exams in Algebra I, Algebra II and U.S. History are optional, with possible changes to the U.S. History EOC pending educator feedback.
Each exam consists of around 50 questions aligned to course standards. The tests are untimed, and students or test administrators can pause and resume the exam within the testing window. (If paused for more than 20 minutes, previously answered questions cannot be reviewed.) The EOC exams feature multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, which are machine-scored. Upon completion, students receive their scores immediately, and teachers can access score reports through the same online system.
EOC training tests are available for students and families.
| EOC Exam | TESTING WINDOW | ||
| Open | Close | ||
| Algebra 1 (Optional) Algebra 2 (Optional) Biology 1** (Required) | Fall (block schedule schools only) | 11/18/24 | 12/20/24 |
| Spring | 04/21/25 | 05/30/25 | |
| Multi-track Schools | 05/30/25 | 06/13/25 | |
| Summer | 06/09/25* | 07/11/25* | |
* Subject to change
** Required as statewide assessment to meet Federal ESSA requirements for assessment in science
Alternative Assessment (HSA-Alt)
The HSA-Alt in English language arts/literacy, mathematics and science are administered to students in Grades 3-8 and 11 to promote, improve access to, and measure the attainment of standards by setting high expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Training tests available on Aloha HSAP.
| Content Area | Grade(s) | Mode | TESTING WINDOW | |
| Open | Close | |||
| ELA/Literacy Mathematics | 3-8 and 11 | Online | 02/18/25 | 05/30/25 |
| Paper/Pencil ** | 02/18/25 | 05/30/25 | ||
| Science | 5, 8 and 11 | Online | 02/18/25 | 05/30/25 |
| Paper/Pencil ** | 02/18/25 | 05/30/25 | ||
* Subject to change
** Paper/Pencil administration must be verified by the Assessment Section.
ACCESS for ELLs
The ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is an English language proficiency assessment administered to all English learners in Grades K-12 to monitor students’ progress and proficiency in acquiring academic English. All schools began administering the assessments online in the 2017-18 school year.
| Content Area | Grade(s) | Mode | TESTING WINDOW | |
| Open | Close | |||
| Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing | K through 12 | OnlinePaper/Pencil** | 01/13/25 | 02/28/25 |
* Subject to change.
** Paper/Pencil administration K (all domains), 1-3 (writing only).
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” NAEP is an assessment program of the National Center for Education Statistics that provides comparable results across states on select subjects. NAEP is typically administered every two years to a representative sample of fourth- and eighth-graders nationwide.
The national results are among the multiple measures that the HIDOE uses to gauge the progress of students and public schools. Hawai‘i’s improvement over time on the NAEP has been nationally recognized as one of the highest in the country. Among 50 states and D.C., a review of Hawai‘i’s performance on the NAEP for 2022 from 2003 shows:
- Grade 4 reading: Hawai‘i’s average scale score went to No. 9 from being No. 46 in the nation.
- Grade 8 reading: Hawai‘i improved to No. 25 from No. 50.
- Grade 4 math: Hawai‘i improved to No. 18 from No. 46 in the country.
- Grade 8 math: Hawai‘i improved to No. 36 from No. 46.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2016 ranked Hawai‘i No. 2 in the nation for improvement in fourth- and eighth-grade statewide performance on the NAEP between 2005 and 2015.
| Content Area | Grade(s) | Mode | TESTING WINDOW | |
| Open | Close | |||
| Mathematics & Reading | 4 and 8 | Digital | 01/27/25 | 03/07/25 |