Why these exams are important

Why are these exams important?

9^th graders – This will be the first year freshmen will be taking the PSAT 9 exam

• This exam leads right into the assessment they will take as sophomores which is the PSAT 10 as well as the exam they will take as juniors, which is the SAT.

• They are all very similar exams in both structure and questioning.

• It will give a reflection of the great work the students and teachers have put in at the freshmen level this year.

• Students will be able to get specific guided practice on areas of need for the PSAT 10 utilizing Kahn Academy after they get back the results from this exam. See Collegeboard.org for more information about how to take advantage of this excellent free resource.

• It will give the students an experience of what taking a state test will be like which is something we cannot duplicate in the normal day to day classroom. You do not want the first time students experience this testing environment to be when they take their college entrance exam as a junior.

10^th graders – They will be taking the PSAT 10. This will be the third year sophomores have taken this exam.

• This exam leads right into the assessment they will take as juniors, which is the SAT.

• They are very similar exams in both structure and questioning.

• It will reflect the great work the student and teachers have put in at the sophomore level this year.

• Students will be able to get specific guided practice on areas of need for the SAT utilizing Kahn Academy after they get back the results from this exam. See Collegeboard.org for more information about how to take advantage of this excellent free resource.

• It will give the students an experience of what taking a state test will be like which is something we cannot duplicate in the normal day to day classroom. You do not want the first time students experience this testing environment to be when they take their college entrance exam as a junior.

11^th graders – They will be taking the SAT. This will be the second year juniors have taken the SAT.

• It will reflect the great work the student and teachers have put in at the junior level this year.

• This exam will be accepted by most colleges/universities as part of a student’s college application.

• Allows students the ability to access scholarships depending on score and the college/university they plan to attend.

11^th graders will also be taking the CMAS Science exam

• It will reflect the great work the student and teachers in our science department have put in over the last 3 years.

• It will give the students an experience of taking a high stakes computer based test which is something we cannot duplicate in the normal day to day classroom. Many placement tests for colleges and universities are computer based and having this experience will help them prepare for that situation.