About: Overview: Passing the HSAs
All students who entered 9th grade in or after 2005 are required to take and pass the High School Assessments in order to graduate, including students in special education, English language learners (ELLs), and students with 504 plans. (Students who entered 9th grade in or before 2004 are required only to take the HSAs.)
There are two ways to fulfill the HSA requirement:
- Students can earn a passing score on all four exams; or
- Students can use the combined-score option, which requires earning a total score of at least 1602. The combined-score option allows students to offset lower performance on one exam with higher performance on another.
Topic Area Passing Score English 396 Algebra/Data Analysis 412 Biology 400 Government 394
What Happens If a Student Doesn't Pass?
Students can retake the HSAs as many times as necessary to pass. Students who do not pass an HSA should talk to their teachers or school counselors to find out how to get extra help before retaking the exam. Once students have gotten help, they can retake the exam the next time it is given. For schedule of HSA test dates, click here.
Each local school system has developed intervention strategies to help students master content in the four HSA content areas. For more information about those intervention strategies, contact your school system's Local Accountability Coordinator. Parents can also contact their child’s school to find out what help is being offered. For information on local intervention strategies, click here.
The state has also developed resources to help students pass the HSAs. MSDE has developed online courses that teachers and parents can use with students to help them pass the exams. Additionally, each year MSDE releases one assessment per subject to the public. To review a sample test, click here; to take a practice test online, click here.
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