Placement Test Information

We believe placement tests assist students in making informed decisions about their academic journey, ensuring they enroll in courses that align with their knowledge and skills, leading to a successful and rewarding educational experience. Holy Family Catholic High School does not use placement tests as a criteria for acceptance.

Star Reading Assessment

Evaluating and understanding your child's academic strengths and progress is an important component in getting to know your child as an individual learner. Therefore, as a requirement for enrollment at Holy Family Catholic High School, incoming ninth-grade students complete the STAR Reading Assessment. While this test is not a criterion for acceptance and is a singular snapshot of your child's abilities, it does provide helpful information for the student, parents, and school on preparedness for high school academics.

The STAR Reading Assessment is given in January of your child's 8th-grade year. Students enrolling after that date will also be asked to take the assessment. In addition, incoming ninth-grade students registering for advanced-level math or Spanish courses may be required to take a subject-specific placement test in mid-May or early June.

STAR Reading Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any review materials for the STAR Assessment?

No review is needed for this test. Star Reading is a computer-adaptive test that measures student achievement on reading skills. As a student takes the assessment, the software selects items based on the student’s responses. If the student answers the item correctly, the software increases the difficulty level of the next item. If the student answers incorrectly, the software lowers the difficulty level of the next item. By continually adjusting the difficulty of an item to what the student has shown she can or cannot do, the assessment is tailored to accurately measure each student’s level of achievement.

What is the test like?

The test has just 34 multiple-choice questions assessing your child’s vocabulary and reading skills. For each question, students will select an answer from the choices offered as a list.

This is a timed test. Students should allow up to a one-hour block, but some students may complete the test in as little as 10 minutes. Ten questions allow 105 seconds to answer, and the remainder allow 150 seconds per question.

When will we receive the results?

Are there testing accommodations available for the STAR Assessement?

If your child currently has extended time accommodations and you have not provided your child’s plan to Holy Family, please send it to Annie Kandiko by 8:00 A.M. on January 12. Students whose parents/guardians have been in contact with Holy Family Admissions or the Holy Family learning specialist team, AND provided documentation of an extended time accommodation in a current learning plan, will be granted extended time for their tests. Students who do not currently have a learning plan with this accommodation will have standard testing time.

Our courses are designed to inspire, encourage, and challenge students of different ability levels in their study of mathematics and their preparation for college and life.

Math Placement Tests

Success in math is often predicated on a secure knowledge of current concepts before taking on new ones. To ensure students are ready for their ninth-grade math course, Holy Family administers the HFCHS Mathematics Placement Test.

Class of 2030 Mathematics Placement Test Dates

Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

Please use the form found in your Blackbaud account to register for the date your child will take the placement test. Please only register if your child is required to take the placement test as described in the FAQs below.

If your child is unable to attend either of the two testing dates, please contact the school office by email to schedule a date and time for a test.

Math Placement Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any review materials for the math placement tests?

Does my child need to take the mathematics placement test?

Students in a Dual-Credit Affiliate Program

Students currently completing a Holy Family math class or earning credit through our dual credit program at one of our partner schools listed below are not required to take a math placement test.

Current Dual Credit Affiliated Schools: St. Hubert Catholic School, St. John the Baptist School-Jordan, St. Joseph C-Stem School, St. Therese School, Notre Dame Academy, Our Lady of the Lake School, and Breakaway Academy

Students Not in a Dual-Credit Affiliate Program

Students currently not completing a Holy Family math class or earning credit through our dual credit program at one of our partner schools listed above may be required to take a math placement test

The following are the requirements for students not participating in our dual credit program through one of our partner schools:

PreAlgebra - Test required; the department chair will contact parents to find a time that works best
Linear Algebra - Test required; the department chair will contact parents to find a time that works best
Quadratic Algebra - No test required
Geometry or Honors Geometry - Placement Test I required
Algebra 2, Honors Algebra 2, or higher - Placement Test II required

When will we receive the results of the placement test?

Being bilingual has opened career door after career door for me. It's like a superpower. — Megan M. '08

Spanish Placement Tests

Each middle school language program is unique, and we want to find the best course available to help your student succeed with Spanish and meet your child's individual needs. The Spanish Department offers two programs: the College Prep Program and the Honors College Prep Program.

Spanish Placement Frequently Asked Questions

What course should I select?

ZERO OR LIMITED SPANISH

If students have never taken Spanish or would like to deepen their beginning language skills, they can immediately register for our regular College Prep courses or choose the Honors Track. This would be their potential four-year plan:

9th	10th	11th	12th
Spanish 1	Spanish 2	Spanish 3	Spanish 4
Honors Spanish 1	Honors Spanish 2	Honors Spanish 3	AP Spanish Language and Culture

PARTNER SCHOOLS

If you are taking the dual credit Spanish 1 course with St. Hubert Catholic School this school year, you may earn Holy Family credit for the course by earning a minimum 80% and a teacher recommendation for passing. Students receiving Spanish 1 credit and choosing to stay on the regular College Prep Course:

9th	10th	11th	12th
Spanish 2	Spanish 3	Spanish 4	AP Spanish Language and Culture

Students receiving Spanish 1 credit and recommended for Honors Spanish 2 by earning a minimum of 90% or above with teacher recommendation:

9th	10th	11th	12th
Honors Spanish 2	Honors Spanish 3	AP Spanish Language and Culture	Choice: AP Spanish Literature OR Advanced Spanish Culture

OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOLS WITH CREDIT
If a student is taking Spanish 1 in a public middle school for high school credit, they will need to send their transcript to Holy Family or take the placement test.

OTHER MIDDLE SCHOOLS WITH NO CREDIT
Students who enter with no high school Spanish credit can take the Holy Family Placement test to be placed in Spanish 2 (regular or honors) or Spanish 3 (regular or honors). The placement tests can be taken at any time before June 1st, and a Spanish teacher will contact you about the results and recommendations.

HERITAGE SPANISH SPEAKERS
Students who speak Spanish as their first language at home but don’t have credit from middle school can choose to place in higher-level classes by taking one of the placement tests. You will start with the Spanish 2 or Honors Spanish Placement Test, and a Spanish teacher will reach out with the recommendation.

IMMERSION PROGRAMS

Students who have completed past immersion programs generally take Honors Spanish 2 or Honors Spanish 3, depending on their Spanish proficiency and academic maturity, as a higher-level class. Students will need to take the Spanish 3 or Honors Spanish 3 Placement Test, and a Spanish teacher will reach out with the recommendation.

Does my child need to take the Spanish placement test?

If you are registering for Spanish 2 (regular or honors) or Spanish 3 (regular or honors) and did not attend a partner school from which you received Spanish 1 credit, we require the student to take our placement test as an assessment tool of their knowledge and application of the main concepts. Language development is very unique for each student, so it’s important to see a general base of how they interpret and use Spanish.

If you are coming from a partner school and receive Spanish 1 credit, you do not need to take the placement test

Students who Registered for Spanish 2 or Honors 2

Students wishing to take Spanish 2 or Honors Spanish 2 must take the online Spanish placement test. The student may take the Spanish 2 Placement Test online whenever he or she is ready but no later than June 15. Students should take this test independently and refrain from using any outside help such as dictionaries, Google translate, etc. Please contact Karen Kidrowski with any questions. She will contact you with the results and a recommendation for what class to take next year.

Students who Registered for Spanish 3, Honors 3 or AP Spanish

Students coming from a Spanish Immersion program or that registered to take Spanish 3, Honors Spanish 3 or AP Spanish will receive an email from Karen Kidrowski with instructions for an individual assessment.

What does the test cover?

The test asks a student to listen to an audio before asking some objective and free-response questions. Then, there is a variety of reading and contextual grammar questions that cover the main concepts of that course. Next, there are some writing prompts to test their writing skills. Finally, the student will need to record a speaking response and send it to a Spanish teacher.