I need some advice on what to do. In the past our school always offered the PSAT on a Saturday and anyone could take it. This year since the College Board is only allowing it on Wednesday the school is only allowing 11th graders to take the test because of ‘space limitations’ no exceptions, though I did tried to get them to make an exception. My 10th grade son will be taking the SAT in March and needs to take the PSAT this year. All the surrounding school districts are allowing 9th - 11th graders to take the PSAT so I was advised by our school district to have him take the PSAT in a neighboring school district.
After getting the run around for several days and many calls to the GC, AP’s Office and Attendance Office I am now being told that taking the PSAT will be an UNEXCUSED absence and they even equated it with taking a day off from school to attend a local music festival! I am livid! I have an emailed the Principle but am not hopeful. I’m thinking of writing to the school board but not sure if it would help, any suggestions?
Agee with T26E4, what difference does it make? I’d say the only problem could be if there are any tests that day and if the teachers won’t allow a make up do to it not being sanctioned. The school is clearly trying to keep your child from getting any sort of advantage compared to other kids in the school. I wonder what is driving this protectionism. And they seem hell bent on finding a way to punish your attempts to take a pro-active stance, advocate for your kid and find a work around their attempts to handicap their own students. Sad!
I always find it odd when schools take steps that put the entire student population at a disadvantage compared to peers at other schools and in other districts. And then they work hard to ensure that everyone in their school is equally disadvantaged. Solution is obviously to encourage all the kids to find ways to take the test. But the school fears that if other parents find out that you were able to find a way around the disadvantage the school was imposing, other parents may try the same thing. And what would happen if all the kids found a way not to be disadvantaged? Chaos or a higher achieving school? But school staff can be narrow minded/parochial-depending on the school, of course. And it appears so in yours.
@Parent1337 there is only one PSAT practice test and four SAT practice tests, he already taken the PSAT practice tests and used two of the four SAT practice tests in prep so far and will use the the two remaining ones before the the SAT. @T26E4 teachers are not required to let students make up test/assignments if the absence is unexcused which could seriously impact his GPA, a zero on a test is a BIG deal. The school also has a policy that lets students exempt based on GPA and unexcused absences.
@twoinanddone I’d rather not call him in sick because it’s not true but I will if that’s my last resort.
@Kandcsmom he will be testing in a very large district that does testing at a non-school facility to test homeschoolers and private school students that go to schools not offering the PSAT. This school district had no problem registering an out of district student just for the the PSAT test. I think our school only has a handful of 10th graders that will be taking the March SAT and I think that they could find room for them. My 10th grader and his younger brother were actually registered and had tests ordered before they changed the rules to only 11th graders so I know the test were ordered and seats were available as of last week. What does nvm mean??
My daughter had an unexcused a since last year because I didn’t know that only seniors got excused absences for college visits. It hasn’t affected her in any way.
If I’d known that juniors didn’t get excused for college visits, I would have said she was sick. Live and learn.
@intparent my kids are on an advanced track, they take Pre AP Pre Cal in 10th grade. They also have more time for test prep in 10th grade and summer between 10th and 11th grade so they take the SAT in the spring of 10th grade and again in the fall of 11th grade when they are the most prepared. This schedule works best for our family.
But OP, honestly, this doesn’t make much sense. Even if you want him to take the SAT early, the PSAT is not really that much of a prep in terms of the SAT itself. Give him a practice SAT in a controlled environment, and you will accomplish just as much. I agree that the school is being unnecessarily uncooperative, but he doesn’t really need to take the PSAT now.
Many schools do not have 10th graders take the PSAT. It is more common for it to only be offered to juniors. so your school isn’t out of line with the norm.
My kids’ HS offers the PSAT to 9th-11th graders. It can be useful to take in a “real” setting. It may help determine if NMF status is a possibility too.
All 10th graders take the PSAT at my daughters school, it is used for AP placement and screening for potential NMFs. The PSAT is optional for 9th and 11th graders. School pays in 10th, students pay in 9th and 11th.
The PSAT in 10th is seen as a good way to practice / evaluate since it is not seen by colleges.
Honestly, if any tests come up on the day he’s absent I’d fight it at that time (keep the PSAT paperwork). Otherwise don’t worry about the unexcused absence.
Even though taking the PSAT in 10th grade might be helpful to prepare your child for taking the SAT in the spring, I think that your child would get just as much or more of a benefit from taking a practice course in your local community which includes full length practice tests or by simply studying practice books and taking practice tests at home(you can time them like a real test and also score them).
In our area, the local branches of some of the national test prep companies will often offer free SAT diagnostic tests, or sometimes, local schools will host one and charge a nominal fee as a fundraiser. They generally try to get you to sign up for a course or tutoring, but there is no obligation to do so. These types of exams would also be a good way to get extra practice accomplished. You can usually find information about these freebie tests on the test prep company websites or through guidance departments at local schools.
It is the 11th grade PSAT which counts as qualifying for National Merit Scholarships, but any prep done for the SAT or SATs taken before then will also be good prep for that PSAT.
D3 is prepping for an SAT retake right now and she likes these books which were recommended in the test preparation forums here on CC: PWN the SAT Guides by Mike McClenathan, and The Critical Reader and The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar by Erica L. Meltzer. I believe that some of these books already have an edition for the new SAT format and others are set to be released shortly. She has been using these books in conjunction with the The Official SAT Study Guide by College Board, which contains full length practice tests which she takes periodically. She has found these to be the most helpful of several study guides she tried.
