Assessment and Using Data

High Schools That Work Assessment

The HSTW Assessment, administered to seniors, is used by HSTW states, districts and schools to document school improvement efforts. It is comprised of three subject tests (reading, mathematics and science) coupled with a student survey. This assessment provides comprehensive school-level data that disaggregate students' achievement by their perceptions of school and classroom experiences. These results have given schools, districts and states a unique opportunity to determine what is and is not working to increase student achievement. The assessment is administered by all HSTW sites in even-numbered years.

SREB and ETS have been working to revise the HSTW Assessment to provide additional value to participating schools and students. The revised HSTW Assessment, in addition to continuing to serve its purpose as a measure of continuous school improvement, will also serve as a measure of student college- and workplace-readiness.

Introducing the New HSTW Assessment details the test development process and identifies major changes for the 2008 HSTW Assessment.

The schedule for the 2008 HSTW Assessment is as follows:

• Order Window: September 3 - October 31, 2007 (Extended to November 16, 2007)
• Student Assessment Window: January 7 - February 1, 2008
• Teacher Survey Window: January 7 - February 15, 2008
• A list of HSTW Award recipients will be sent on Friday, May 9 to HSTW State Coordinators and SREB Contracted Services directors
• Awards and Student Reports: delivered in June 2008
• School Reports: delivered in August 2008

The cost for the 2008 HSTW Assessment is $2,460 for a minimum of 60 students and $41 per additional student beyond 60.

• What Is the HSTW Assessment? (assessment components, directions for student selection)
• Ordering the 2008 HSTW Assessment
• The HSTW Award of Educational Achievement and Student Reports
• Calendar of Events in the 2008 Assessment
• 2008 Assessment Administration Materials 
• At a Glance: The 2006 High Schools That Work Assessment (PDF File)
  • A Guide for Using the HSTW Assessment Report to More Deeply Implement School Reform
  • Workbook: Using the HSTW Assessment Report to More Deeply Implement School Reform

  High Schools That Work Teacher Survey 

 High Schools That Work Ninth-grade Student Survey

The Ninth-Grade Student Survey is designed to provide schools with critical information regarding students' first year in high school. The survey is administered online and is used to collect information on the courses students took, guidance/advisement, their transition to high school, extra help they received, and their perceptions of the level of expectations their teachers had for them. Finally, the survey is used to collect information on a series of basic study skills referred to as the habits of success. These habits are the basic study skills students must possess to become independent learners (e.g., taking notes while reading, keeping a running list of assignments and grades earned, studying with a partner). They are very closely related to academic success, but not traditionally taught in high school.

Please use the links below to learn more about the survey:

• Information on the Ninth-Grade Student Survey
• Order the 2008 Ninth-Grade Student Survey
• Ninth-Grade Student Survey Administration Instructions and Materials

For additional information on the Ninth-grade Student Surveys e-mail allison.timberlake@sreb.org.

 Annual Progress Report on Sites

SREB collects an Annual Progress Report from each HSTW site every year. These reports contain information about the school's accomplishments and challenges over the previous school year. School leaders also provide information about policies and practices they are currently using in their schools. All HSTW sites are required to complete the Annual Progress Report.

Read the 2007 HSTW Annual Progress Report memo for additional information regarding the Annual Progress Report.

 2007 HSTW Annual Progress Report 

Online submission of the 2007 HSTW Annual Progress Report was due September 28, 2007. The purpose of the later deadline is to allow schools to gather the necessary data and information that becomes available in the fall. For those schools and school districts needing to complete the Annual Report prior to the end of the current school year, please follow the link below to submit your Annual Report.

Once completed, visit the 2007 Annual Progress Report Confirmation page to confirm that your 2007 annual report was received.

Follow this link to access your school's 2006 Annual Progress Report .
 

 Follow-up of 2006 High School Graduates  

In the spring of odd-numbered years, HSTW schools that administered the High Schools That Work Assessment the previous year will administer a follow-up survey to those graduates who participated in the assessment. This survey is designed to gather information on these students one year after graduating high school. This survey provides schools with the information they need to answer important questions such as: How many of our students attended postsecondary education? How many of our students needed remedial course work in their postsecondary education and in which subjects? What types of jobs did students hold after graduation and how much were they paid? The next follow-up survey will take place in spring 2009.

The follow-up survey of 2006 graduates took place in March 2007. Survey reports were sent to schools in the fall of 2007 as PDF files on CD-ROMs. A list of important dates and deadlines, as well as general instructions, for the follow-up survey appears in the document titled “Follow-Up Letter to Schools.”

• Follow-up Letter to Schools (Instructions)
• Cover Letter to Students
• Job and Study Fields (PDF)
• Survey Control Form (PDF)
• Random Sampling Instructions (if needed) (PDF)

Are Scores on the HSTW Assessment Related to Students’ Self-Reported Educational Experiences? (2008)

For more information about the assessments offered by other SREB school improvement initiatives, click below.

• Making Middle Grades Work Assessment

For more information, please e-mail Allison Timberlake at allison.timberlake@sreb.org.