Sample questions to assist students

Items will be posted on the Internet to aid test transparency

A new Web site allows the public to see the types of questions that appear on the annual Hawaii State Assessment test that stumps so many Hawaii students.

The Web site, www.hsaitems.org, contains up to 20 math and reading questions for each of the grades tested every spring.

Until now the test questions have been closely guarded secrets at the state Department of Education, which wants to prevent any semblance of cheating and because any questions that are released cannot be used again, requiring outside test-development companies to create and field-test new items at state cost.

The relatively open new stance stems from the state's recent switch to a new test developer, Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research, which has a track record of greater transparency, state education officials said.

"They're trying to help us move forward in the way we communicate with schools, parents and the public in general," said Pat Ishimaru, the department's HSA coordinator.

All of the test items posted are from past versions of the exam created by former test developer Harcourt Inc., Ishimaru said.

The HSA has been rated independently as one of the more challenging state tests in the country.

Combined student scores determine whether a school is considered to be in compliance with the performance standards of the controversial No Child Left Behind Act, which punishes low-performing schools.

Schools and parents have been sent some sample questions in the past, but only on a limited basis and not yet through the Internet.

"One of the benefits might be that if parents are more familiar with what the test is all about and the expectations, they might be more likely to help their kids meet them," said Robert McClelland, the Department of Education's head of planning and evaluation.

More test questions will be added throughout the year. By the school year's end, up to 50 or more questions per subject and grade level will be available, Ishimaru said.

The Web site allows users to search for sample test items given to students in grades 3-8 and 10 by grade level and subject.

Other features explain how each item ties into the department's content and performance standards and what students need to know to answer each question, information considered important for teachers seeking to hone instruction, Ishimaru said.

Site users also can see real examples of how students explained their answers to math questions, an HSA requirement that has been criticized for depressing math scores since many students might get the numbers right but fail to explain them properly.