St. Mary’s Academy administers the Scholastic Testing Service’s (STS) High School Placement Test (HSPT) to all eighth-grade applicants. St. Mary’s uses the test scores to determine qualification for admission and eligibility for the Academic Scholarships.  

Please note: Transfer applicants do not need to take the HSPT. It is only an admissions requirement for freshman applicants.

BASIC INFORMATION:
• St. Mary’s administers the placement exam on Saturday, December 7, 2013 from 8:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The test will conclude at 1:00pm and students will enjoy an Italian Soda Party from 1-1:30 p.m.  Students are encourage to sign up for the Saturday test.  SMA also administers the test on Monday, December 9, 2013 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

•  Online registration closes on Wednesday, December 4th. If you are registering after that time please call the Office of Admissions at 503-721-7725 to inquire about space.

• Once the test is underway, SMA Administrators will hold a parent information meeting to review how to read test results and explain how St. Mary's uses the test scores.  The Saturday parent meeting will be held in the student commons and will begin at 9:00 am.  The Monday meeting will be held in Room 103 and will begin at 3:45 pm.  

• Parents are welcome to explore downtown or wait in our school commons as students take the test. As it is a timed test, they will not be finished before the noted end time.

• The test is taken only once and we encourage students to take it at the school of their first choice.

• Indicate on the registration form if you wish for St. Mary’s to send your HSPT scores to another Portland area Catholic high school.

• The fee for the exam is $20. Pencils and a snack during break time is included with this fee.  You may pay online via pay pal.

SCORES:
• St. Mary’s administers the HSPT to evaluate a student’s performance level. We currently over 110 middles schools represented in our student body from Oregon and Southwest Washington, private, public, Catholic and home-schooling environments. The HSPT offers the Admissions Committee an even playing field from which to ascertain a student's potential for success in our academic programs.

• The Admissions Committee reviews a wide range of criteria when evaluating a student for admission to St. Mary’s Academy. Transcripts, teacher recommendations, student and parent questionnaires, and placement exam scores are all reviewed in the application process.

• Exam scores are mailed home to families as soon as we receive them from STS. Typically we receive and send the test scores at the beginning of January.

• After a students is invited and accepts our invitation to attend SMA, they will take a separate Math and World Language placement test to make sure they are scheduled into the appropriate level their freshman year.

• Students that place in the 90% nationally (total score) are eligible to apply for a one-time $1000 academic scholarships granted by SMA. We offer five of these scholarships per incoming class.

MORE QUESTIONS:
Call Lauren Kawa in the Admissions Office at 503-721-7725
admissions@stmaryspdx.org