October 2, 2007
Dear Parents:
On Wednesday October 17, all juniors, sophomores, and freshmen will be involved in taking national standardized tests. Since all high school students have to take either the ACT or the SAT in order to be admitted to college, we give our students three opportunities to take practice tests.
Freshmen will take the PLAN test, which is a practice version of the ACT. As a "pre-ACT" test, the PLAN is a powerful predictor of success on the ACT. The PLAN includes four multiple- choice tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science. It would be a good idea for all freshman students to visit the website (http://www.actstudent.org/plan/tests/index.html) and click on the button that says “Sample Test Questions.” This will give students a sense of what to expect before the actual test. As parents, I would suggest that you do this with your freshmen; you may be able to help them with questions as they work through the samples.
Sophomores and juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) which is a practice version of the SAT. This test measures critical thinking skills that are important for success in college, including critical reading, math problem-solving, and writing skills.
Taking this test will enable students to do the following:
- receive feedback about critical academic skills
- seek information from colleges
- practice for the new SAT Reasoning Test™
- enter scholarship competition (juniors only)
The College Board provides numerous sample questions for students to try prior to taking the test. You and your students can gain access to these sample questions at this website: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/prep.html. Click on any highlighted phrase that says “Practice Now,” and it will take you to the sample questions for that category.
Juniors only can also visit http://www.collegeboard.com/psatextra, and take an actual practice test using the password you were given on your Score Report from last year’s test.
The schedule for the week of testing will allow for students not to have homework due the day of the testing, with the exception of first period. However, students who complete first period homework on Monday evening, 10/16, should have none to do the Tuesday evening, 10/16 .
We would encourage all students to stay home and go to bed early the night before the testing day, and to have a good breakfast Wednesday morning. Being on time to school on this day also reduces stress.
All students are required to take the tests on October 17 . There is no make-up day for this testing day. Students will be dismissed at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, 10/17 .
Thank you for helping your students to be successful!
Sincerely,
Sara Hayes
Academic Dean