Frequently Asked Questions about EOC Exam Format and Content
Which EOC exams must students take?
All students enrolled in a Biology 1 course are required to take the corresponding Biology 1 (NGSS) End-of-Course Exam. If students are enrolled in Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 courses, their school may require students to take the optional EOC exam for each course in which they are enrolled. Applicable 2023-2024 EOC Exam testing window(s), are listed on the EOC Exams Portal at alohahsap.org. The EOC Exams are not grade-level specific and can be taken by any student enrolled in one or more of the three courses at their school of record, via an E-School course, or a summer school course.
Intermediate/middle schools that offer Algebra 1, may also administer the optional EOC exams to students enrolled in these courses.
Students will be given one opportunity during the last two to four weeks of a course to take the corresponding EOC exam.
What is the purpose of an EOC exam?
The purpose of an EOC exam is to measure student proficiency based on the content standards assigned to the associated course, inform instruction, and standardize course expectations. The Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 exams measure identified Hawai’i Common Core Standards; the Biology 1 (NGSS) exam measures identified Next Generation Science Standards.
How and when will the EOC exams be administered?
The EOC exams will be administered online via the HSAP Secure Browser used for the administration of the Hawai’i Statewide Assessment Program (HSAP) during the last two to four weeks of the course.
Paper/pencil versions of the EOC exams will be available for students who are enrolled in one of the courses and are receiving services at alternative sites that do not have Internet access during the 2023-2024 testing windows. Further information about the paper/pencil EOC exams may be found in the Hawai’i State Science (NGSS) Assessments and End-of-Course Exams Test Administration Manual located on the EOC Exams Portal at alohahsap.org.
What types of items are on the EOC exams?
Students will answer several types of items for the online EOC exams:
- Multiple-choice and multi-select items, in which students will select an answer option from a set of possible choices
- Constructed-response items that include the following:
- Natural language items, in which students will type a short answer in an answer space
- Interactive items, in which students will use the mouse or keyboard to move items or draw responses in an answer space (also called a “grid”)
- Equation editor items, in which students will input any mathematical expression or equation
- Simulation prompts, in which students will interact with data and provide answers in varied formats
The Biology 1 (NGSS) EOC Exam will consist of a combination of standalone items and cluster items. Standalone items consist of one or two questions and may include any of the item types listed above. Cluster items consist of a stimulus section providing text, graphic, and/or animations followed by several questions of varying item types listed above. Students use the stimulus information to respond to each question.
Go to the EOC Exams Training Tests and the Interactive Item Tutorial on the EOC Exams Portal at alohahsap.org to see some of these types of items.