<p>Wow! I wouldn't have guessed that a MAJORITY of PSAT/NMSQT test-takers are below eleventh grade. </p>
<p><a href="http://collegeboard.com/parents/tests/meet-tests/21303.html%5B/url%5D">http://collegeboard.com/parents/tests/meet-tests/21303.html</a> </p>
<p>"In 2006, 54 percent of PSAT/NMSQT test-takers were in tenth grade or earlier."</p>
<p>well, run the math. Frosh + Sophomores > Juniors....</p>
<p>At our high school it is, and has been for quite a number of years, SOP for all frosh and sophomores to take the PSAT - basically for the reasons given on the CB site:</p>
<h1>The test identifies student's academic strengths and weaknesses.</h1>
<h1>The test forecasts SAT scores.</h1>
<p>Also, the GC encourages students to sign up for a CB account in the ninth grade as a way to build and personalize individual student's profiles, as well as to put the college search process on the kids' radar early. Of course, some kids procrastinate and don't open a CB account or really start thinking about colleges until the SAT rolls around which is either at the end of sophomore year or the beginning of junior year but they have the PSAT under their collective belts anyway. I get the impression from past CC threads that quite a few high schools, both in the U.S. and abroad, follow some type of mandatory PSAT policy for frosh and sophomores.</p>
<p>Also, from the CB site:
[quote]
Percentiles compare your student's performance to that of other students, nationally. If she's in eleventh grade, her score is compared to the scores of all eleventh-graders who took the test. If she's in tenth grade or younger, her score is compared to the scores of all tenth-graders who took the test.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In our district, it is required of Sophomores to take the PSAT, and the school pays for it. It is encouraged that only college bound Juniors take the test at their expense. Freshman are able to take the test if they so choose.</p>
<p>It is my belief that the school uses the PSAT to identify certain sophomores with potential that the school has not already recognized via GPA, etc. Some of these kids might not have been motivated to apply for college other than commuinty college. </p>
<p>I also think that, in some ways, the school is looking for hidden stars that they want to take the test as Juniors, and students they want to take the SAT that might not have taken it. While this certainly does benefit the students, I somehow get the idea that at our particular high school, it benefits the school. They seem to then encourage only those who have the potential to score better than average to take the official tests, when those results are reported and reflect on the school. </p>
<p>There has been a slight down turn in SAT scores as more and more kids are taking the test compared to 30 years ago. There are more kids goin to college, kids that would never have applied 30 years ago. Those kids, often disadvantaged, or with lower GPA's, tend to score lower and bring down the average. It seems that requiring all sophomores to take the test allows the school to identify and nurture certain students. Good for the student, but even better for the school. Our public high school seems to make no secret it will work to raise its "school" SAT scores. They even started a summer SAT prep class by invitation after sophomore year for those identified by taking the PSAT as a soph.</p>
<p>
[quote]
At our high school it is, and has been for quite a number of years, SOP for all frosh and sophomores to take the PSAT
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As I recall, you live in New Jersey, and one of my local friends who grew up there said it has been routine in New Jersey for a long time for sophomores to take the PSAT. That is a much newer practice out here. Just two years ago, when I wanted by son (then in eighth grade) to take the PSAT to check on where he might stand for admission to out of state boarding schools that use the ISEE or SSAT for admission, my friendly local public school district was completely baffled by the idea of ANY student below eleventh grade taking the PSAT. They telephoned College Board, which of course told them that it was okay for a younger student to take the PSAT, and my was able to take the test officially. This year, when my son is a soph, I am told by the school district that all residents of the district are ENCOURAGED to take the test in both tenth and eleventh grade, and with a district appropriation to reduce the cost to just five dollars besides. Evidently what is new here and old hat in NJ is now becoming the national norm.</p>
<p>tokenadult,</p>
<p>Things are changing here in another midwest state, also. When my son was a 10th grader (he is now a college freshman), not one of his friends took the PSAT before 11th grade. I don't know if anyone at his school did. (The year before, his school had a drastic drop-off in NMSF because the school did a terrible job of notifying 11th graders (!) about the sign-up dates, so I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise that no 10th graders were encouraged.)</p>
<p>Now, the school is casually letting 10th graders know they are allowed to take the PSAT if they wish to, but there is no big campaign to get them to all sign up, not even those in AP courses as 10th graders.</p>
<p>Why I don't like the notion of huge numbers of 10th graders taking this test: if we can assume that the early "practice" results in higher scores as 11th graders, it will result in higher cut-off scores in states like Missouri, where this year's cutoff was 211 (214 the year my son took it). As the cutoff scores rise, the pressure to take it early will also rise, the people selling prep courses will get additional business, and the stress level will increase at an earlier age. In addition, kids attending less "sophisticated" schools will be at a greater disadvantage than they already are. And for me, the ultimate problem is that all the advance preparation further reduces the utility of the exam as a source of information for the schools that are using it as a quick assessment tool. (Much as has occurred with SAT I and ACT.)</p>
<p>My 10th grader has made no mention of taking the PSAT this year, and I have no intention of suggesting it. </p>
<p>(My son, BTW, was a NMF with a score that would have qualified in any state, and it has garnered him 8K in tuition reduction over 4 years, so I do understand the stakes. I still don't like the idea of turning the screws even earlier in the process.)</p>
<p>I'm going to have to elaborate (and perhaps backtrack) on the post just prior to this one. Our schools give all 8th grade and 10th grade students the PLAN and EXPLORE tests (these are pre-ACT tests). They are given during school hours, at district expense. For the most part, they are used as internal assessment tools for placement in special programs, and eligibility for a state-wide summer program for the gifted. However, parents are given a thorough report on performance, including a predicted ACT score range, and a breakdown of percentile rank as compared with all other students who took the test.</p>
<p>So, I guess this serves some of the same purpose as the early PSAT. I think the stress level is less, since it seems like just one more required standardized exam taken during school hours.</p>
<p>Here is the part I've never understood - of course you would take the PSAT as a junior if you thought you could qualify for National Merit. But why would you take it at any other time for any reason, or require others to do so? If you want practice for the SAT, why not just take the SAT?</p>
<p>I've heard that PSAT scores are used as a mailing list screen for invitations to certain summer academic programs. As it happens, my oldest son has already taken the SAT--more than once--as part of the Midwest Academic Talent Search </p>
<p><a href="http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/mats/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ctd.northwestern.edu/mats/index.html</a> </p>
<p>and thus little about the PSAT should be new to him, except which testing center he takes it at and what day of the week he takes it.</p>
<p>jenskate,
Students take the PSAT instead of the SAT because 1] it isn't 4 hours long[!] and 2] it gives students an accurate early indication of any areas of weakness, which they can they work on- reading more, working on math, getting tutoring help, etc..</p>
<p>tokenadult,
We are in NJ, too (and in a pretty strong school district at that). The school never encouraged the under-11-grade crowd to take PSAT. All they tell about it is "Many students benefit from taking it earlier, typically in their sophomore year." We had exactly the same attitude in out Midwestern school, btw.</p>
<p>PSAT is easier to require because it's administered during the school day, it's shorter, and isn't it cheaper? School districts wouldn't be able to get away with making all the kids show up on a certain Saturday to take SATs. </p>
<p>Some schools use the PSATs in 9th and 10th grade to determine which students to recommend for AP classes.</p>
<p>Actually I think most schools do it on Saturday.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Some schools use the PSATs in 9th and 10th grade to determine which students to recommend for AP classes.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm glad you mentioned that. Yes, the College Board has done a lot of research on which combinations of PSAT subscores do the best job of predicting which high school students might thrive in AP courses on different subjects. The College Board offers a program to schools through which schools can use PSAT scores to identify students who are ready for AP study. </p>
<p>I have no idea what the overall national pattern is on Wednesday PSAT testing versus Saturday PSAT testing. My sense is that areas with lots of young people who observe a Saturday sabbath for family worship (which perhaps includes the area I live in and grew up in) tend to have the PSAT on Wednesday. That's when I took the PSAT--on a Wednesday, being excused from school classes that day to go to another part of the school building to take the test. My son will take the Wednesday test this week at our friendly local public school. I have to remember to get him excused from his distance learning classes that morning.</p>
<p>My theory about more do PSAT on Sat is based on the following unscientific poll. On the CC official OCT 18 2006 PSAT discussion, there were 147 posts. On the CC official OCT 21 2006 PSAT discussion, there were 435 posts.</p>
<p>This make sense because doing it on Sat would not disturb the normal class schedule.</p>
<p>My school requires all sophomores to take the test, and that's it. In fact, above sophomore you have to pay to take it.</p>
<p>D's Catholic school holds it on Wednesday so as not to disrupt weekend activities. Also, girls come from 80+ towns, so transportation problems would certainly arise for many families. The school actually pays for it, which surprises me, because they bleed us dry for every other thing imaginable. I think the wide variety of prep that has become more popular makes the use of the test as a NMF qualifier a bit questionable.</p>
<p>The Florida legislature pays for every 10th grader to take either the PSAT or the PLAN. Districts decide which to take and I think most districts go with the PSAT and give it during school on Wednesday with sign up being automatic. Once it is optional in the 11th grade and kids/parents have to take initiative the numbers drop way off. The Florida factor alone is probably enough to skew the numbers.</p>
<p>Our school system tests on Wednesday -- too many kids work or have sports on the weekend. It's free to 9th and 10th graders -- the schools use it for looking at kids who might be well-served by getting into more advanced courses based on their scores, and to get more kids from underrepresenterd groups thinking about higher ed.</p>
<p>Our county pays for all 9-11 graders to take the PSAT during school hours on Wednesday. 9th grade is scored internally by the county (the prior year's test is administered using actual PSAT test booklets), while 10th and 11th grades get the scores back from college board. </p>
<p>Besides the value of practice, the subsequent college mail generated some interest on their part to start thinking about college choices; I was glad for the early testing.</p>
<p>I don't understand why a school district would pay for sophomore tests but not junior tests. Practice is great, but junior year is what counts. Why make it optional in that year?</p>