Office of Assessment
Statewide assessments support student learning and measure students' academic achievement
New Hampshire Statewide Assessment
Annually, New Hampshire school districts and public charter schools are required by state law (RSA 193-C) and federal accountability laws (Every Student Succeeds Act) to assess students using a standardized assessment. Several assessments, outlined below, are utilized in order to comply with these requirements. One-page description of each statewide assessment.
Statewide assessments are an important part of a student’s core educational program by providing:
- An evaluation of student mastery of content and skills in various academic areas
- Serve as one tool for measuring the degree to which students are on track to graduate high school and are college- and career-ready
- Help inform future instruction in the classroom
Along with student work on classroom assignments, projects, essays and local assessments, state assessment results give teachers, parents, and the community important information about where students are on their path toward academic success.
Participation Requirements
General Guidelines: If the student is able to receive instruction, then he/she is able to participate in the statewide assessment. It is the responsibility of the district to provide timely notification to the parents/guardians of students which statewide assessment will be administered and the timeline for administration.
All students, including students with disabilities and English Learners, are required to participate in all NH statewide assessments scheduled for their grade.
All students must participate in grade-level tests that correspond with the grade in which they are reported in the NHED's i4see student management system. Statewide assessments are not a graduation requirement.
New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS)
New Hampshire students participate in the NH SAS, the general statewide assessment, for English language arts (ELA), mathematics and science in the following grades and content areas:
- Grades 3-8 students are assessed in English language arts and mathematics
- Grades 5, 8 and 11 students are assessed in science
SAT School Day
New Hampshire students in grade 11 participate in the College Board state-provided SAT with Essay, as the general statewide assessment, for English language arts and mathematics.
Dynamic Learning Maps® (DLM®) Alternate Assessment
New Hampshire offers the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment for students with the most significant disabilities. Eligible students are assessed in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics and science in the following grades and content areas:
- Grades 3-8 and 11 students are assessed in English language arts and mathematics
- Grades 5, 8 and 11 students are assessed in science
ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs)® and Alternate ACCESS
Federal law requires that English learner (EL) students be assessed annually to measure English language proficiency (ELP) in reading, writing, speaking and listening. ACCESS for ELLs is New Hampshire’s approved ELP assessment administered to EL students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Alternate ACCESS is New Hampshire's approved ALP assessment administered to EL students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Kindergarten through Grade 12.
2020 USCIS Civics Examination
Please find the 2020 version of the USCIS exam here, as required by NH statute.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also commonly known as "the Nation's Report Card," and is conducted at both the state and national level. This assessment has been focusing on what America's students know and are capable of doing in various subject areas by testing representative samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12 in public and nonpublic schools since 1969.
College Board Advanced Placement (AP)
- Funding will be available for low-income students who take 2023 AP Exams.
- Access AP resources and tools including AP Classroom through My AP Login.
- Visit the College Board’s AP Central for important updates and deadlines. AP is not a state-required assessment.
State Assessment Monitoring
Information and resources, including templates, related to the NHED state assessment monitoring program.
New Hampshire Assessment Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
New Hampshire has established a Technical Advisory Committee for the purpose of providing the Department with technical assistance and support across its general assessments.