Hello Students and Parents,
We will be administering the PSAT8 digitally to all 8th-grade students on Wednesday, April 16th. This is a required state test for all of our students. Benefits of digital testing are access to universal calculators, a shorter overall test, access to results in a more timely manner, and the flexibility to test the second week back from break. Testing will begin at 8:00 AM and conclude by 10:14 AM.
The PSAT8 is the first test in the SAT Suite of Assessments. It sets a readiness baseline, allowing students and teachers to pinpoint areas for focused practice as students progress through High School.
This digital test covers Reading, Writing, and Mathematics and is considered a multistage adaptive test, which means students will receive a small bank of questions that will vary depending on their answers progressing through each section.
To help students prepare for the test, HMS will be conducting a “Digital Readiness” day on Tuesday, April 15th, during first hour. This readiness check will make sure each student has a fully functioning computer and give them an opportunity to try a few sample questions and familiarize themselves with the application used for testing.
During the Digital Readiness day, Students under the age of eighteen who are participating in one of the College Board SAT Suite of Assessments on a school day – SAT® with Essay, PSAT/NMSQT®, or PSAT™10 – will be asked to provide College Board with optional student information; this process includes the student opting into the BigFuture School™ mobile application and the Connections program. Students taking the PSAT™ 8/9 assessment will not be offered access to the BigFuture School app nor offered the opportunity to opt into Connections. However, these students will be asked to provide College Board with optional student information.
If you would like to opt out of your student providing the optional student information, please reach out to Mr. Stockwell at scotstoc@hpsvikings.org. Your student will be advised to skip the optional information sections on digital readiness day, but will still be required to to take the PSAT8 on test day as it is our state achievement test for 8th grade students in Math and ELA.
Additionally, the link below will bring you to the College Board’s PSAT 8/9 preparation page. This webpage includes a short video (2:31) about what to expect during the test as well as links to longer practice tests students can complete on their own. Finally, at the bottom of the page is the student test manual. I’ve attached it below as well.
Students should come to school on the day of the test fully rested and with the following materials:
A fully charged school issued Chromebook
Scientific Calculator (If desired, the testing application will provide one for all students)
To ensure your calculator is approved by the College Board click on the link below
Water bottle clearly labeled with the student’s name
If your student does not have these materials, they will be provided by the school.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the PSAT8 or any of our testing procedures.
Sincerely,
Scott Stockwell
HMS Principal
