How the grade 7
state test is scored

Levels, not percentages

Results are a level from 1 to 4 plus a scale score. Families beginning SHSAT preparation in grade 7 sometimes read the state level as an SHSAT prediction. The two tests measure different things and are scored on unrelated scales. Level 3 is the state's definition of proficient, there is no percentage anywhere on the report, and a scale score cannot be compared across grades.

Where the credits come from

The grade 7 test is worth 110 credits across 94 questions. 78 of those questions are multiple choice and worth one credit each. The other 16 are written, and worth more.

Which means 32 of the 110 credits — that is 29% of the whole test — come from questions where a child has to write something down. On a practice test that only offers multiple choice, 29% of the score is not being practiced at all.

What grade 7 results are for

A grade 7 result has no consequence attached. Its value is timing: it lands in the year most families start SHSAT work, and it says whether the reading is ready for it.

How a written answer is marked

Written answers are marked against the state's rubric. In grade 7 ELA that rubric asks for evidence, and it means a quotation put to work rather than a quotation dropped in — which is also, exactly, what an SHSAT revising question rewards.

Our grade 7 practice tests mark to those rubrics and show what the marker was looking for, which does double duty in the year a family is usually preparing for two tests at once.