Standardized Testing
ACT
The ACT (American College Testing) is a standardized test used for college admissions in the US. The test covers four academic skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and scientific reasoning. The ACT is administered seven times a year: February, April, June, July, August, September, and October. The duration of the ACT exam is approximately 3 hours.
For more information about ACT, please see your school counselor and/or visit the links below:
NGSS
Connecticut mandates that all public-school students enrolled in grades 5, 8, and 11 participate in the statewide testing approved by the State Board of Education that measures essential knowledge and skills in science. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Assessments are Connecticut’s mastery examinations for science in grades 5, 8, and 11. The Next Generation Science Standards were adopted by the Connecticut State Board of Education in November, 2015.
The NGSS Assessment is the work of educators and university-level experts who assisted in the design of the assessment, and reviewed the test items for content alignment, accuracy, grade-appropriateness, wording, scoring, as well as for issues related to fairness and accessibility. The assessment provides a reliable estimate of a student’s overall performance in science relative to grade-appropriate standards. They are one way to gauge achievement and progress in science literacy. Questions on the NGSS assessment begin with real-world phenomena that engage students in an authentic science experience or engineering design challenge. Students should expect to see pictures, diagrams, data, charts, graphs, maps, etc., related to the phenomena presented. Students must use the information provided, along with their own science knowledge and problem-solving skills, to respond to questions that include a variety of question formats.
The NGSS Science Assessment will be administered in Grades 5, 8 and 11 in the Spring of 2024.
- February 5 - May 31, 2024 (Grade 11)
- March 25 - May 31, 2024 (Grades 5 and 8)
- March 25 - May 31, 2024 (Grades 5, 8 and 11)
PSAT
The Preliminary SAT, also known as the PSAT/NMSQT® (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), is a practice version of the SAT exam. The PSAT is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and tests your skills in reading, writing, and math. You can only take the PSAT once per school year. During your junior year, you could qualify to receive a National Merit Scholarship based on your score.
October 2, 2024 PSAT Grade 11
October 1, 2024 PSAT Grade 10
For more information please see your school counselor and/or visit the links below:
SAT
The SAT is a globally standardized test used by many colleges and universities for admission. The test is intended to measure high school student's preparedness for colleges. The new digital SAT is 2 hours and 15 minutes (approximate) consisting of reading & writing (2 modules) and Math (2 modules).
The College Board administers the SAT multiple times throughout the year, please visit collegeboard.org for testing dates and locations. The deadline to register or the SAT is typically about a month before the test date, so it is important to plan ahead. Early registration ensures that you get the SAT date you want and the testing center that is most convenient for you.
As a participant of the SAT School Day program, DHHS administers the digital SAT to all juniors on a designated weekday during the school year.
- March 19, 2025 SAT School Day grade 11 last name A-K and all students with accommodations
- March 26, 2025 SAT School Day grade 11 last name L-Z
For more information about the SAT and SAT School Day please see your school counselor or visit the College Board website.
Linking College Board AND Khan Academy
The College Board and Khan Academy have partnered to offer all students no-cost personalized practice towards their SAT® when students link their College Board and Khan Academy accounts.
Digital SAT (Spring 2025)
Two subjects:
- Reading & Writing (two modules),
- Math (two modules)
- 2 hours and 15 minutes (with breaks)
Digital via the College Board testing app Bluebook™ (paper/pencil only allowed for selected students with accommodations)
Multistage adaptive:
The first module of each subject includes a mix of easy, medium, and hard question; if you answer many correctly, you will receive tougher questions in the second module