PSAT Prep for Sophomores
2016
C & J PSAT
Christian/Jolly
Policies and Procedures
Welcome to the PSAT/ACT prep class!
The main purpose of this class is to help you become a National Merit Semi-Finalist, which will earn you
college scholarships and academic recognition. The class will also help to improve your ACT score, but it is
not the primary goal of this class until after the PSAT in October. We will take practice tests, discuss
test format, share test-taking tips, learn SAT vocabulary, and practice critical reading and grammar.
This year there are two PSAT sections, and they will rotate between English (Mrs. Christian) and Math (Ms.
Jolly). You will focus on either Math or English for the first half of the nine weeks and then we will switch
for the second half of the nine weeks. The rotation will continue for the last nine weeks. You can continue
this class in the fall, where we will continue to prep for the PSAT until October. Afterwards the PSAT is
given, we focus on preparing for the ACT.
The next PSAT is given in October of 2016, and since you will be a Junior, this is the year your score
determines eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program (www.nationalmerit.org), which could lead
to generous scholarship dollars! October may seem far away now, but it is important to start preparation
early. Some other test dates you might want to consider are the April ACT, May SAT, June SAT, and/or
ACT. Visit www.act.org and www.sat.org to get more information about these important college entrance
exams and how to register for them.
Course Expectations
1. Students are expected to attend all class meetings.
2. Students are expected to arrive on time and prepared for class.
3. Students will need sharpened pencils, pens, a calculator for home use, paper, and a three-ring binder.
4. Students must make up any missed work within accordance to the time frame established by RCSD.
5. Students must actively participate, both in and outside of class. This includes, but is not limited to,
asking questions in class, listening to the questions of others, completing homework assignments, studying,
and remaining on-task in the classroom.
6. Students will be required to work on an online vocabulary program in addition to weekly vocabulary
assignments and will complete vocabulary notecards to study during their downtime.
7. Students will have practice problems and reading assignments for classwork and homework.
Textbook
We will use The Official SAT Study Guide provided by College Board. Please bring $20 to class and I
will purchase, or you can order it on your own. The ISBN # is 978-1-4573-0430-9.
Assessments
1. Practice (formative). You will be given practice sections in class and outside of class. You must take each
one seriously. They will be graded.
2. Reading Comprehension/Vocabulary (formative and summative). You will be asked to read and summarize
articles. You will also be required to define vocabulary words from the article based on context.
3. Practice Tests (summative). Practice SAT tests will warrant some grading mercy, but you will still be
expected to show improvement throughout the course.
4. Be prepared for anything – stories, yoga, interpretive dance, whatever….