Testing Announcements 

1. Beginning of the School Year Assessments (BOY) 

All students will be taking their Beginning of the Year Diagnostic Assessments (BOYs) on a designated day/time by their teacher. As diagnostic exams, the BOY is not a grade that will impact your student's average; instead, it will be used as a way for teachers to understand where students stand. That said, please encourage your student to do their best so that their teachers have the best, and most accurate data to guide instructions moving forwards. In addition, the BOY data might be used to adjust your student placement in terms of academic performance. That said, during the first six weeks of the school year, students will be reassessed at three weeks and six weeks. Students who are not meeting educational expectations by end of the 1st cycle will be rescheduled as stipulated by HISD school guidelines.  

2. NWEA MAP Growth Assessments 

These exams are mandated by the district that all students must complete. Please be aware that the tests are imperative because they are used to track your student growth and may be used to determine placements into some classes for the next school year. 

• All students will be taking their BOY NWEA Assessments on 8/18/2025 .

• All students will be taking their MOY NWEA Assessments on 1/14/2026.

• All students will be taking their EOY NWEA Assessments on 5/20/2026.

3. PSAT/NMSQT (8th Graders only)

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). Like the SAT, it measures the knowledge and skills in reading, writing, and math students learn in the classroom - the same knowledge and skills your child needs to succeed in college and career.

Why the PSAT/NMSQT Is Important?

When your child takes the PSAT/NMSQT, they open the door to more benefits than you might think.

• It connects students to more than $235 million in scholarships, including the National Merit Scholarship Program. 

• It's excellent practice for the SAT. 

• It's the first step to a free, personalized SAT study plan. 

• It shows student progress on the road to college. 

• It shows which Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses your child is ready for. 

All 8th graders will be taking their  PSAT/NMSQT Assessments on 10/16/2024.       

• For more information about PSAT, please visit: https://parents.collegeboard.org/college-board-programs/psat-nmsqt

• Here is where to practice for PSAT: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

4. District Level Assessments (DLA)

Houston ISD uses District-level Assessments to help teachers better understand what students know and can do.  With the resulting data, teachers can promptly evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction, make any needed adjustments in the class, and address the learning needs of each student. Students will be taking these assessments regularly throughout the year.  For more information, please visit your teacher's Canvas page.

5. Midterm Exams & Department Summative

All Algebra and Geometry students will be taking their Midterm Exams on 12/16/2024 & 12/17/2024. This exam is required and will be counted towards their high school credits.

Students enrolled in Math 6, 7, or 8 MYP math classes will take their end of semester 1 test the week of December 16-20 in class.

6. STAAR Assessments

All students will be taking their STAAR Math 6 - 8, STAAR Algebra EOC on 4/29/2025.

• Algebra students only take Algebra 1 STAAR EOC exam. 

• Geometry students only take Math 8 STAAR exam.

View STAAR released test questions from TEA for practice and log in to the practice test site for STAAR 2.0 practice

7. Final Exams (Algebra & Geometry students only)

All Algebra and Geometry students will be taking their Final Exams on 5/27/2025 - 5/28/2025. This exam is required and will be counted towards their high school credits.

6th and 7th grade students will take their Algebra I Placement Exams during the week of May 27.