Penncrest High School
JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT
2015
AGENDA
 Class of 2015 review
 Junior year calendar
 PSAT Discussion
 SAT / ACT
 AP Testing
 Important Dates
Class of 2015
Penncrest Class of 2015 SAT Scores
Penncrest Class of 2015
 Critical Reading – 544
 Math - 551
 Writing – 530
Pennsylvania average SAT scores
 Critical Reading – 499
 Math – 504
 Writing - 482
Setting a Target
School
Critical
Reading
Mathematics
Writing
Grade Point Average
PSU
580
615
590
3.56
Temple
550
560
540
3.41
WCU
530
545
525
3.09
Pitt
630
645
610
3.51
Penn
710
728
725
3.91
Junior Year Calendar
 PSAT / NMSQT October 28, 2015
 Initiate college search: College fairs, Career Center,
College Reps
 Utilize POWR Days
 Financial Aid Night: November 4, 2015
 Junior Interviews begin in the first semester
 Plan Spring Testing Schedule: SAT, ACT , AP
 Prepare for the SAT, ACT , AP
PSAT
 PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National
Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
 Approximately 3.3 million students took the
PSAT/NMSQT: 46% were eleventh graders, 53% were
tenth graders or younger students.
Benefits of taking the PSAT
 The best preparation for the SAT
 The entry point to compete for National Merit
Scholarships
 The option to receive information from colleges
and scholarship services.
 Personalized feedback on critical reading,
mathematics and writing skills.
PSAT/NMSQT
 Approximately 16,000 high school seniors qualify for
Semifinalist status based on their performance on the
PSAT
 Semifinalist status is selected from the top 1% of
Selection Index Scores.
 The Selection Index is the cumulative total of the three
sub tests.
What does the PSAT assess?
 Reading skills– Using content from: humanities,
social studies, natural sciences and literature. All
questions are multiple choice.
 Prior topic specific questions are not tested.
 Students will read contemporary literature
 A U.S. founding document and a piece from global
conversation. For example, the U.S. constitution or a
speech by Nelson Mandela.
What does the PSAT Reading Test Measure?
 Command of Evidence
 Find evidence in a passage (or pair of passages) that
best supports the answer to a previous question or
serves as the basis for a reasonable conclusion.
 Identify how authors use evidence to support their
claims.
 Find a relationship between an informational
graphic and the passage it’s paired with.
What does the PSAT Reading Test Measure?
 Words in Context
 Many questions focus on important, widely used
words and phrases that you’ll find in texts in many
different subjects. The words are ones that you’ll use
in college and the workplace long after test day.
 The PSAT/NMSQT focus on the student’s ability to:
 Use context clues in a passage to figure out which
meaning of a word or phrase is being used.
 Decide how an author’s word choice shapes meaning,
style, and tone.
What does the PSAT Reading Test Measure?
 Analysis in History/Social Studies and in
Science
 The Reading Test includes passages in the fields of
history, social studies, and science. You’ll be asked
questions that require you to draw on the reading
skills needed most to succeed in those subjects.
Students will be called on to:
 Examine hypotheses.
 Interpret data.
Answers are based only on the content stated in or
implied by the passage.
PSAT Writing and Language Test
 It’s About the Everyday
 When you take the Writing and Language Test, you’ll
do three things that people do all the time when they
write and edit:
 Read.
 Find mistakes and weaknesses.
 Fix them.
What is the Writing and Language Test Like?
 What the Writing and Language Test Is Like
 To answer some questions, you’ll need to look closely
at a single sentence. Others require reading the
entire piece and interpreting a graphic. For instance,
you might be asked to choose a sentence that
corrects a misinterpretation of a scientific chart or
that better explains the importance of the data.
 The passages you improve will range from arguments
to nonfiction narratives and will be about careers,
history, social studies, the humanities, and science.
PSAT Math Test
 The Math Test covers a range of math practices, with



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an emphasis on problem solving, modeling, using
tools strategically, and using algebraic structure.
The PSAT/NMSQT will ask students to use the math
that you’ll rely on most in all sorts of situations.
Questions on the Math Test are designed to mirror
the problem solving and modeling you’ll do in:
College math, science, and social science courses
The jobs that you hold
Your personal life
The Focus of the Math Test
 The Math Test will focus in depth on the three areas
of math that play the biggest role in a wide range of
college majors and careers:
 Heart of Algebra, which focuses on the mastery of
linear equations and systems.
 Problem Solving and Data Analysis, which is about
being quantitatively literate.
 Passport to Advanced Math, which features
questions that require the manipulation of complex
equations.
A New PSAT = A New Scoring Scale
 The new PSAT will be scored on a different range
than what's been used until now, with a minimum
possible score of 320 and a maximum of
1520. Both the low and high end of this range are
shifted about 80 points lower than the scoring scale
of the new SAT, to account for the fact that the PSAT
is a somewhat easier test
The New PSAT Scoring Scale
 Math will be scored from 160 to 760, and Reading
and Writing will be scored together from 160 to
760. This means that all three sections no longer
have equal weight in the overall composite score.
Instead, Math will make up half the total score
while the Reading and Writing sections will make
up the other half together. Your score report will also
give you a more detailed breakdown by section,
scoring each one from 8 to 38.
When PSAT scores are returned
 The College Board will email you an access code to
view your online score report about two months after
you take the test. Teachers and counselors will see
scores about a day before you do and can give you
the access code if you didn’t provide an email
address when you took the test.
 Teachers and counselors will also give you your
paper score report.
Who doesn’t see PSAT scores?
 Colleges Don’t Receive Scores
 The College Board does not send PSAT/NMSQT or
PSAT 10 scores to colleges.
 These scores are not intended to be part of college
admission decisions. They should not be included on
student transcripts that will be reproduced and sent
to colleges unless the student (if 18 or older) or
parent/guardian has granted permission.
 You are allowed to withhold scores from college
admission and athletic offices, even when colleges
ask for them.
Who will be able to see your scores?
 The College Board sends PSAT/NMSQT to:
 Schools
 Districts (in many cases)
 States (in many cases)
 Although you can access your scores online earlier,
schools hand out and explain PSAT/NMSQT and a
paper score reports to students.
Standardized Tests
 Colleges use standardized testing in the form of the
SAT and ACT to evaluate students
 Colleges also utilize grade point average and some
consider class rank
 Activities, letters of recommendation are important to
many schools.
SAT
 The SAT is offered seven times during the school
year:
 October 3, 2015
 November 7, 2015
 December 5, 2015
 January 23, 2016
 *March 5, 2016 *Redesigned SAT 3/5/2016
 *May 7, 2016
 *June 4, 2016
www.collegeboard.com
ACT
 Offered six times per year
 September 12, 2015
 October 24, 2015
April 9, 2016
June 11, 2016
 December 12, 2015
 February 6, 2015
Students must register for the test at least four weeks
before each test date:
www.ACTStudent.org
SAT/ACT Comparison
 SAT – ten sections: three Critical Reading, three Math,
three writing, and one Experimental; the Experimental
section is masked to look like a regular section. The
redesigned SAT begins with the March 5 test date.
 ACT – five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science
and Writing (optional)
SAT/ACT Comparison
SAT
Writing: an essay and
questions testing
grammar, usage, and
word choice
ACT
Writing: essay
English: stresses grammar
Science: charts,
experiments
SAT/ACT Comparison
SAT
Math: up to 9th grade
Geometry and Alg II
Critical Reading: sentence
completions, short & long
passages, reading
comprehension
ACT
Math: up to trigonometry
Reading: four passages, one
each Prose Fiction, Social
Science, Humanities, and
Natural Science
SAT/ACT Comparison
SAT
Scoring: 200-800 per
section, added together
for a combined score- a
2400 is the highest
possible combined score
ACT
Scoring: 1-36 for each
subject, averaged together
for a composite score- a
36 is the highest possible
composite score
SAT Subject Tests
 Subject Tests are designed to measure your
knowledge and skills in particular subject areas, as
well as your ability to apply that knowledge.
 Colleges use the Subject Tests for admission, course
placement, and to advise students about course
selection.
 Some colleges specify the Subject Tests that they
require for admission; others allow applicants to
choose which tests they take.
Subject Tests: Five Areas
 English: Literature
 History: U.S., World History
 Mathematics: Level 1, Level 2
 Science: Bio, Chem, Physics
 Languages: Chinese, French, German, Spanish,
Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Japanese, Korean
Which Subject Tests Do I Take?
 Before deciding to take the tests, make a list of the
colleges that you are considering. Then find out if the
school requires the Subject Tests.
 Many colleges that don’t require Subject Test scores
review them to gain a better picture of the student.
When should students take the tests?
 Most students take the Subject Tests toward the end of
their junior year or at the beginning of the senior year.
 Take tests such as World History, Biology, Chemistry
or Physics as soon as possible after completing the
course while the material is still fresh in your mind.
 Questions? See your guidance counselor.
AP Placement Program
 College-level courses taught in high school by high
school teachers
 AP teachers use college-level materials and course
descriptions developed by a committee of college
faculty and AP teachers.
AP Examinations
 Administered in May (May 5 -16)
 Approximately three hours long
 Composed of multiple-choice and free-response
questions
 Free-response questions are graded by college
professors and AP teachers in June
 AP exam grades range from 1 to 5
Important Dates
 Financial Aid Night:
November 4, 7:00 p.m.
 College Night:
April 6, 2016, 7:00
p.m.
 AP Tests: May 2 -13