Why Students Should Consider the Highlands Ability Assessment

The Highlands Ability Battery (HAB)

I recently got certified to integrate the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) into our practice. It is a human assessment tool that objectively measures students’ natural abilities by asking them to perform specific tasks or exercises. As part of the Highlands Whole Person Model, the HAB is the foundation and starting point for students to identify strengths they can bring to their activities, academic pursuits and eventual career.

I started on this adventure after reading two books that reinforced my desire to help students find their strengths. The first was The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better and Live Better by Jenny Anderson and Rebeca Winthrop. This book got me thinking about how we can help students move from disengagement to engagement in high school. Simultaneously, I went to a talk by Scott Shigeoka discussing his book Seek: How Curiosity can Transform Your Life and Change the World. Shingeoka discusses the transformative power of “Deep Curiosity” in fostering meaningful connections and building empathy and understanding that can bridge cultural, political, and ideological divides.

Together these books made me think about how College Calm can ignite student curiosity and build their confidence to authentically achieve their goals. The issue is that students don’t often take time for reflection and self-discovery. I believe the holistic approach of the HAB gives students a framework and space to explore their unique aptitudes and interests. The detailed report is a great way to start conversations about students’ experiences, strengths, and goals, which support student development that leads to curiosity, agency, and confidence.

What Makes the HAB Assessment Unique?

The HAB is unique in that it measures your abilities based on performance rather than perception. Exercises such as recreating designs from memory, manipulating blocks in space, and putting images in logical sequence are some of the virtual tasks you are asked to perform within a set amount of time. Results based on timed performance are far more reliable than results based on self-perception or personal opinion. Typically students’ aptitudes solidify by the age of 14 and understanding them can help teens think more critically about how they study and how they choose to spend their time.

What to Expect When Taking the HAB

The HAB consists of 19 virtual work samples that are taken online over an estimated three hours in total. You do not have to take the whole Battery at once, but can do each work sample individually or break them up into smaller groups.

The HAB measures basic human abilities such as:

The HAB is different from other performance assessments because it goes beyond simply measuring individual abilities by exploring how they combine to form “patterns” and “blends” that influence a person’s communication style, problem-solving approach, and information assimilation. These patterns are then used to understand the potential majors, career paths, roles, and work environments that are best suited to an individual’s natural strengths.  

How Results are Revealed

After students complete all 19 work samples, they receive customized reports that provide insights into how they think, what makes them tick, and where they will thrive. The student report begins with your personal profile, showing the score achieved for each ability and its significance as it relates to your personality, your motivation, how you learn, communicate, solve problems, and make decisions. This detailed report is a great way to start conversations about students’ experiences, strengths, and goals, which support student development that leads to curiosity, agency, and confidence.

The Five Driving Abilities

The Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) identifies five Driving Abilities, which are core natural talents that strongly influence how a person processes information, makes decisions, and works best. These abilities “drive” the way people function in work and learning environments. The five driving abilities are in the middle of the graphic, after the Personal Style Factors and before the Specialized Abilities. When I go over the results with students, I explain that being high isn’t “good” and being low isn’t “bad.” In fact, both high and low scores come with pros and cons but being in the middle can often be a “sweet spot” because the score is high enough to help do a job but not so high that it can bother you if you don’t use it.

The Whole Person Model

One of the most rewarding aspects of this work for me is watching my students bloom once they have clarity about what works best for them. In addition to the HAB results, I teach students about the eight factors of the Highlands Whole Person Model.

The results of the HAB give all of my students criteria for making decisions about every aspect of their lives, from whether or not to do a particular activity or take a class to eventually deciding what career and work environment may best suit them. The benefit of the Highlands Whole Person Model is that students can put their abilities in context with the other seven factors. In addition to abilities, evaluating potential careers through the lenses of value alignment, work environment (personal style factors), interests, skills, family, and goals all lead to a sense of purpose and fulfillment that many young people would benefit from. High school is a pivotal time for students to explore their interests and discover their unique strengths. The HAB whole person model encourages this exploration not only helping teens better understand who they are, but also empowering them to make more informed decisions about their future. Understanding their strengths can lead to greater initiative, balance and happiness in high school. 

If you are interested in learning more or taking the HAB assessment, please email collegecalm@gmail.com.