Educator Help Center

In most cases, this situation is related to how practice tests are being used rather than the tests themselves.

How are practice tests structured?

Each HSE subject includes four practice tests. The recommended structure is:

• Students take Practice Test 1 at the beginning of the first level.

• They take additional practice tests after completing each subsequent level.

• After Practice Test 4, the cycle returns to Practice Test 1.

Because practice tests are designed to follow instructional levels, there should typically be a meaningful amount of time between attempts.

Why might students be memorizing answers?

Practice tests are meant to measure progress after instruction.

If they are:

• Assigned too frequently

• Used repeatedly without students completing new instructional content

• Given as general assignments instead of level-based progress checks

Students may begin remembering specific answers rather than demonstrating skill growth. This reduces the effectiveness of the assessment.

What if students are taking practice tests on their own?

If students are independently accessing practice tests often enough to memorize answers, schools can disable that option.

A school administrator can update this setting in the LMS:

1. Go to the Administration tab

2. Select School Information

3. Scroll to Practice Test Options

4. Check the box for:
   “Do not allow students to take practice tests outside of their lesson plans.”

5. Click Save

This ensures teachers control when practice tests are assigned and completed.

Recommended Next Steps

• Review how practice tests are currently scheduled in your program.

• Ensure they are spaced appropriately between instructional levels.

• If needed, have your school administrator adjust practice test access settings.

Spacing practice tests properly helps maintain their purpose as meaningful progress checks rather than memorization exercises.