High School placement test — a tool to set students up for success

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging. Incoming freshman students face a world of unknowns behind the doors of their chosen high schools — new peers, new teachers, new buildings, new classes, new schedules, etc. Going from a class of 20 students to 100+ students can be daunting, and starting a new curriculum alongside that change can be even scarier. However, using the high school placement test, diocesan high schools are able to place students on a path that works best for them.

Taken on Dec. 12 across the Diocese of Covington, the high school placement test provides a point of reference for high schools when deciding where to place incoming students. It is not a test of admission, rather a test of placement.

“It helps schools figure out which classes would be best for the students so that they can be successful,” said Kendra McGuire, superintendent of Catholic schools. Unlike a standard curriculum that each student works through in middle school, high schools are able to differentiate classes based on student readiness levels.

“They [high schools] have different level classes and different plans,” said Mrs. McGuire.

The high school placement test measures students’ skills across five sections: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, reading comprehension, mathematics and language arts. Based on student scores, high schools can determine which level classes will provide students with the best chance of success. “They look in all areas … students who can handle that rigor, or that pace, that helps inform that,” said Mrs. McGuire.

The test is not the only area of measurement schools can use to place a student. In addition to the test, schools can also contact the student’s middle school to learn more about them, engage in discussion with parents, and use the students’ MAP test scores.

“It really is just part of the data points to help place a child for their best success in high school,” said Mrs. McGuire.

In addition to placement, high school placement tests help high schools administer merit-based scholarships to incoming freshmen. The number of scholarships and amounts awarded vary by school; however, awards from each school can only be given to students that are tested at that school. This is why it is encouraged that students take the test at the high school they intend to attend. Though the scores can be shared across schools, scholarships cannot be granted to students who did not test at the awarding school.

High school placement tests are unique to private education, and in the Diocese of Covington, they help provide students and their families with data when making decisions on class placement, in addition to financial opportunity. Mrs. McGuire says that students and families shouldn’t worry, and that the goal is for students to showcase what they know.

“Go in and do your best to try and showcase what you know … just go in and do your best,” she said. If a student does not perform as expected, family and student input along with other data points can ensure that students get placed in a spot that is best for them.