<p>Score reports should be delivered on demand when available. Some juniors take SATs in early December, and lose out on the learning that could take place from looking over their PSAT results, if the school refuses to share them until late December or January.</p>
<p>Not every kid or parent needs to sit through an explanation session. Some of us do already know well how to interpret the score report. It is pretty self explanatory, IMO.</p>
<p>Need I mention that we pay for this test? And that the results are our kids’ property?</p>
<p>We were lucky in that I volunteer in the counselor’s office, so I was in charge of alphabetizing the test booklets so that I could slip the score sheets into them for distribution. So I always got an early peek at our D’s scores.</p>
<p>Except for the juniors who have a chance to be NMSFs (and there are precious few of those at our local high school), there doesn’t seem to be much interest in knowing the results ASAP at our schools.</p>
<p>Just got the scores yesterday- sent from the schools home, with a note saying that there will be an assembly at X time to go over them. What a complete waste of resources in this day and age, to have them shipped to the schools and then have the schools individually ship them home to individual students. Why they can’t be shipped directly back from the College Board to students is simply beyond me.</p>
<p>My kids are taking the ACT today and frankly I held back their PSAT’s til today after the ACT, since I didn’t see a need to stress them out (or more accurately, D who is already stressed out over the ACT, to stress herself out more). Let’s just say I don’t need to worry about all that National Merit Scholarship stuff, heh.</p>
<p>Just another poor excuse. Even kids aiming for the local state college who may only need a 1500 for admission or a 1800 for a small scholarship from said state U should be provided their scores. Such kids just might want to prep a little over the holidays and take the Jan test to see if they can achieve whatever score that they would like. If so, one and done.</p>
<p>IMO, there is just NO justification for withholding scores, except GC power, and “its the way its always been done”. Heck, we just elected a new Prez and one of his key campaign promises was “transparency.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yup, send 'em home before break with a short letter of explanation. Once drafted, the wording of the letter will never change. Can be used year after year after year. </p>
<p>With NCLB, our students are tested every year starting in second grade. The state mails us home our reports in early August – when schools are closed – no school GC to speak with. The state test results do include 2-3 pages of explanations, however. This ain’t rocket science, folks…</p>
<p>We’re aggravated that our student doesn’t have scores yet either–
and other hs in our area released them 2 weeks ago…
Whole country took them the same day–</p>
<p>This week our student will get the report–</p>
<p>What a pain–especially since we paid for them–and they are the student’s scores…
and without the code–can’t even check them online</p>
<p>Last year our school gave them out right away - just handed them out at lunch.<br>
This year, they plan to give them out Jan. 21st.</p>
<p>REASON: Revolution Prep. </p>
<p>I smell a rat. This company is going to hold a PSAT pick up night, where they “explain the scores”… translation, where they sell you a $500 - $4000 class to improve the scores. The whole things irks me.</p>
<p>We do have our son’s score… broke into the school during the night. (just kidding!)</p>
<p>Our school just got Naviance a few years ago, and there is very little data on there due to the college counselor not having time to put it in. I volunteered but was turned down due to privacy. Code of confidentiality or not, volunteers will still see the results.</p>
<p>Not only should the high school not delay the distribution of the scores, they should NOT have access to them in the first place. The current policy is a ridiculous one that serves no purpose whatsoever, except for the lame one that the booklets are returned to the students. </p>
<p>Fwiw, the distribution of the PSAT scores should offer a nice reminder for all parents to prepare a letter to the GC and the school that any disclosure of scores earned by the student is prohibited, and that no scores can be included in ANY transcript. A copy of the letter should then be sent to the College Board. Make sure to request a written acknowledgement by the school. </p>
<p>In case the school resists, make sure they understand that you will pursue the matter with the district and the College Board, and that the scores never and will never be the property of the school. </p>
<p>PS Please remember to NEVER disclose your high school on any SAT test.</p>
<p>PSAT scores have been sent direct to HS since the beginning of time, or at least since the dark ages (when some of us parents roamed the earth).</p>
<p>BC & GC’s must be in cahoots. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson, they must feel that we “can’t handle the truth.” But I’m sure the reality is that they expect GC’s to use the psat scores as a “teachable moment.”</p>
<p>And I agree - in this day and age, why it’s not all delivered electronically is stupid and ridiculous. How dated. Send it all electronically to the students. The PSAT is so simple it doesn’t need “explanation” beyond what a few paragraphs could provide. Here, it’s a precursor to the SAT. Here’s what it takes to become NMSF / Finalist. Here, add a zero to estimate your SAT’s. Good luck next time, kids. Over and done.</p>
<p>Our district stopped the practice awhile ago, ostensibly due to state and federal privacy issues. While that is probably a contributing factor (perhaps the main factor), the district also figured out it could save money by not transporting CB reports onto a local HS transcript.</p>
<p>I emailed my son’s 10th grade guidance counselor two weeks ago seeking my son’s scores and was told too that they (guidance) would sit down and go over the scores at the appropriate time (read, their selected time after the holiday break).</p>
<p>I had hoped to use the scores to help us gauge if extra help was needed in any particular area so to get the ball rolling. If the math score is real low for example, why not start home review? These scores are also helpful in discussing remedial work over the summer.</p>
<p>Too bad the schools and the CB aren’t more sensitive to family issues and needs. Life moves on even with senior transcripts going out.</p>
<p>Most parents here are with it enough to review the scores with their teen. This isn’t a kumbia moment, it’s reality. </p>
<p>Thanks xiggi as always for your astute posts.</p>
<p>My son got his scores on a scrap of paper today. I believe the college counselor is holding the official scores so the kids don’t lose them between now and January when she has a meeting with parents/students to explain them. The PSAT has been hugely controversial in the Los Angeles School District the last few years because it has been mandated that all 10th graders take it along with 9th graders and the 11th graders who want to. The 10th graders did not have to pay (the district did – the same one that laid off thousands of teachers last year.) This was some kind of pilot program that is coming to an end next year, the aim being to get kids motivated about college. Anyhow, the teachers at my son’s school have been incensed for the last few years because they are forced to proctor a private exam on their time and feel it is time they should be teaching. Anyhow, the test is administered here only on a Tuesday - not on Saturdays as it used to be. Therefore (yes I have a point), if the school is administering the exam, collecting the fees from the 11th graders, processing the paperwork, proctoring the exam, etc., it makes sense that the scores go back to the school. I also think it saves the college board time and money to send the scores back by school. Unlike the SAT, the PSAT is administered during school time during school hours - at least in some places. I know our college counselor spends an insane amount of time setting things up for that test – it is not a simple task. It’s a weird set-up, to say the least.</p>
<p>Xiggi, our HS does not list scores on transcripts, but does list certain distinctions, including National Merit levels (commended, SF, F, Scholar). That is a good thing because it is not “officially” documented anywhere else. Too bad NMSC does not post names in an online database. (However, I had to remind HS to keep the transcript up-to-date on the award levels as my kid advanced. Even though notification went to the HS principal, there was no SOP because it just was not a common occurance for a kid to win a scholar award.) Anyway. I want the HS to be officially notified of good results, because honestly the guidance office here is clueless about who the very brightest kids are, and often picks popular or well-connected parents’ kids for academic opportunities.</p>