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Dear
Parents and/or Guardians of Rising Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Grade Students:
In Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and across the
United States, students in grades nine, ten, and eleven will take a Preliminary
SAT (PSAT) on October 10, 2018. Ninth grade students will take the PSAT 8/9,
which is specifically designed for eighth and ninth graders. Tenth and eleventh
grade students will take the PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT).
The PSAT 8/9 and PSAT/NMSQT are standardized tests
that are designed to promote college readiness while preparing students for
college entrance assessments. The PSAT/NMSQT test is cosponsored by the College
Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. While only students in
grade eleven are eligible to compete for National Merit Scholarships, taking a
PSAT in grades nine and ten provides excellent practice for taking the PSAT in
grade eleven and for taking the SAT college entrance assessment.
FCPS
will provide the PSAT 8/9 to ninth graders and the PSAT/NMSQT to tenth graders
without cost. The cost of the PSAT/NMSQT for eleventh grade students will be
announced in the fall, and students will register for the PSAT 8/9 or
PSAT/NMSQT at their schools. Students who are eligible for free or
reduced-price meals will receive fee waivers upon request. Additional
information about the registration process for your child, the pre-survey
questions, and student privacy safeguards will be provided in the fall.
The PSAT
measures evidence-based reading, writing and language, and math with a focus on
reasoning skills, knowledge, and comprehension, which are important for college
and career readiness. The total testing time for the PSAT/NMSQT is 2 hours and
45 minutes, and the total testing time for the PSAT 8/9 is 2 hours and 25
minutes. Students with disabilities who are eligible for testing accommodations
may require additional time for testing. Additional information about the test
content can be found at the following webpages:
All ninth and tenth grade students who complete the
test will receive an individual customized score report, which will provide
feedback based on their responses to the test questions. This will be helpful
to tenth graders in preparing to take the PSAT again in eleventh grade and for
students preparing to take the SAT. Students will have access to Khan Academy’s
(https://www.khanacademy.org/) free
online test preparation that is customized based on their PSAT scores. Eleventh
grade students must pay for the test in order to receive a score report.
All tenth and
eleventh grade students with disabilities who have testing accommodations
documented in a 504 Plan or an individualized education program (IEP), the
school will submit an online request to the College Board for accommodations on
the PSAT/NMSQT. Requests for accommodations must be completed and received by College
Board by August 21, 2018. Each high school has a designated staff member
to serve as the SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) Coordinator to
work with the College Board to make these requests. The SSD Coordinator at
Chantilly High School is Johnathan Burr. His email address is jaburr@fcps.edu.
The online approval process is described at the College Board website (https://www.collegeboard.org/students-with-disabilities/request-accommodations/approval-overview).
Please contact Johnathan Burr by August 1, 2018, if you intend to submit
documentation to the College Board.
For ninth
grade students with disabilities who have testing accommodations documented in
a 504 Plan or an IEP, the school can provide accommodations such as extended
time, writing in test booklet, braille and large print. Please contact
Assessment Coach, Caitlin Franks at cefranks@fcps.edu no
later than August 15, 2018 to schedule your student’s accommodations. For ninth
grade students who need accommodations beyond those listed above, please submit
an application to the College Board via Mr. Burr no later than August 1,
2018. Applying to the College Board at this time would provide for the
accommodations on future College Board assessments (PSAT, AP, SAT).
Students may prepare for the PSAT by visiting the
College Board website (www.collegeboard.com), getting a good night’s sleep prior to the test, and
eating breakfast the morning of the test. I encourage you to discuss the
testing with your child. Best wishes to you and your child.
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