@DreamerMom Oh no! What a bad way to let people know. These cancellations put more pressure on testing companies to ensure high school seniors get a spot in subsequent dates. Fingers crossed for our kids.
It just occurred to me that with the change to homeschool I need to call the neighborhood school to make sure D22 will have a PSAT spot IF they do it. Big āifā, I guess. School buildings still closed for most here.
So sorry for all the cancellations! It seems so hit or miss at times. Iām in Michigan and S22 took it Saturday at a school that is going to be only remote when they open next week. I was a little surprised it was a go.
School started here today. They have a split start by alphabet to get kids used to new rules- one way halls, assigned seating, outdoor classes or breaks, etc. They all came home with Chromebooks to use for the year. Most things will be able to be done at school or remote if needed. My kids all had a good day and were happy to see friends again. Classes are all 25 kids or less, except for band. S22 started the IB diploma program so his classes are on the smaller side for sure.
@Luanne Thatās great they allowed the in-person test at a school that will be online only. Makes sense, with appropriate spacing and masks, a one-time test seems quite feasible.
Signed up S22 for an Oct ACT date. Was going to sign up for Nov SAT too but all the ACT āwhat do you want to do for the rest of your lifeā questions wore him out! Will have to do that later. He scored well on a practice SAT recently, which boosted his confidence.
The PSAT is still supposed to go forward at his school but I need to find out how they will do it since the student body is split 50/50 alphabetically , with the students alternating one day in person followed by the next day remote. Usually all sophomores and juniors take the PSAT at his HS. They may just keep the seniors, freshman and 8th graders home that day, I suppose.
I canāt believe weāre back at this. D19ās process went well and it seemed like weād get more time before starting this with S22. And, when I thought weād know what weāre doing this time around the world has changed! No PSAT this fall, no SAT dates, only online activitiesā¦ woo hoo! And already a few hundred posts in this topicā¦ here we go!
Mandatory COVID testing results in for Dās school (pk-12, plus faculty, staff, admin). Over 600 tests administered (nasal swab), zero positive cases. Woo hoo.
A couple testing updates for S22. First, thereās a new PSAT date that the College Board is offering: January 26, 2021. His school sent an email to juniors saying they may move the PSAT to that date.
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/k12-educators/psat-nmsqt-dates
Second, the high school in San Francisco where heās scheduled to take the Nov. 7 SAT has canceled the October sitting of the SAT. No info on Nov. 7 SAT yet, but thatās not a positive sign.
Our school just announced Jan 26 for PSAT date tooā¦
My S22 will pitch a fit if our school pushes back the PSAT to January. Heās been studying for months and will be ready in Oct for it to be done.
I think itās highly unlikely for any SATs in the SF Bay Area in 2020. Weāre signed up for Dec and May. Our school will either do PSAT in Jan or not at all ā frankly Iāve moved on from the PSAT and only care about the SAT.
Our school has the PSAT scheduled for Oct 14 still. Iām not sure if there is a back-up date or not. Weāve had 2 weeks of school so far and it seems like things are going well. My kids and friend who work in the schools say the kids are doing a great job wearing masks the right way, staying distanced in the halls, keeping in their seats, etc. Classes are going outside for mask breaks at times, which helps, I am sure.
Our school has an October 17th PSAT date. Usually, the school pays for all sophomores to take it during the school day. This year, itās scheduled on a Saturday and whoever wishes to take it will pay out of pocket.
Our school is doing the Jan date for the PSAT. Relieved here. We are all remote right now and I canāt see that changing in one month.
Our school has also announced the Oct. 14 date for PSAT. We are doing OK so far with the 2day/ week model, so I think it will happen. My S has been studying and will be glad to be done with it, though his practice test scores are not yet where he would like. Has a harder time with reading and writing, so we will see. Still lots of time for the SAT ( in theory), but he was hoping to be one and done when he takes it early Oct.
I think it is great there are multiple PSAT dates this year!
I am curious if there has been any information about how PSAT score will be treated this year. With many schools doing classes virtually, will there be fewer students actually taking the PSAT? If so, will there be self-selection amongst those that take it in that those likely to score high take it? If so, will the scores for this class be artificially high? For example, I live in Memphis. My kids go to a private school. My son will be taking the PSAT, but the large local public district is all virtual and has not discussed giving the PSAT at all this year. I have some concerns that many deserving high school kids either will not have the opportunity to take the PSAT this year or may be hurt by artificial score inflation.
@Peruna1998 Hard to say now. If they only offered the Oct 14 PSAT, there would be A LOT of juniors who didnāt take the test. Adding the Jan 26 date increases the number of students taking it. I presume weāll know more after the January test. Fingers crossed COVID-19 cases get under control as we go into winter.
Just know the sensitivity of the nasal swab is only 70%. (translate, if itās there, can it be detected - yes 70% of the time). But this is fine when testing a population that you expect will be negative.
I imagine any scholarship or anything outside of the National Merit Scholarship program are going to be looking at things other than the PSAT, just like schools are making the SAT optional, since so many kids wonāt take it. As for the National Merit Scholarship itself (which is the primary reason to take the PSAT), they may have to adjust how they pick their 16,000 winners. If CA schools mostly stay closed, anyone managing to get the test in CA would have a great shot at it!
In short, itās to your advantage if fewer other kids take it.
Actually, mathematically, it may not be to your advantage (except that you cannot participate without taking it). Think about it this way. Who will take the PSAT? Most likely those that think they have an opportunity to earn a National Merit scholarship or those schools (likely private) that can administer it and socially distance. That could (emphasis on the could) artificially inflate scores. Locally, the Shelby County school system is likely virtual for the year and has no present plans to administer the PSAT. It is one of the largest public school systems in the country. The average ACT in the Shelby County schools is, sadly, around an 17.5. Taking that pool of students out will impact the average PSAT score in Tennessee. Thatās just math.