What did your student think of the PSAT?  PSAT 8/9 was given to all 8 th and 9 th graders in OCTOBER 2015  PSAT 10/11 was given to all 10 th and 11 th graders in OCTOBER 2015 (NO ASPIRE/ACT)  PSAT is a preview of the Redesigned SAT

What were the PSAT CHANGES?  There is a math section where calculators are not allowed.  The “writing” section changed to a “writing and language” section.  PSAT dropped sentence completions in favor of “writing-in-context” (this is still multiple choice, similar to the current ACT English section).  The PSAT was extended 35 minutes, to 2 hours 45 minutes, which comes closer to the SAT’s new length.

PSAT SCORING  The score report will be cut to two sections instead of three.  8/9 Test is on a 240 – 1440 scale ( per section)  Sample 8/9 score report: psat-8-9-score-report.pdf psat-8-9-score-report.pdf  10/11 Test is on a scale ( per section)  How to get the most from your score report: psat-10/scores/student-score-reports psat-10/scores/student-score-reports  Sample 10/11 score report: le-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf le-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf

Simple Changes to SAT  Begins March 2016  1 Math Section will be “Calculator Free”  Essay is now “optional”  ** No penalty for WRONG ANSWERS: Students won’t be penalized for wrong answers anymore.  **Free test prep: Thanks to a new partnership with Khan Academy, students will be able to access high-quality online test prep without signing up for programs like Princeton Review or Kaplan, which are often difficult for students from low-income families to afford. The Khan Academy test prep has an exclusive relationship with the College Board, which designs the SAT, meaning the free prep might also be the best prep.Khan Academyfree prep might also be the best prep.

Share your student’s test results with Khan Academy  You get immediate access to FREE, Personalized practice for the SAT in the areas that your student needs the most help!  Three Easy Steps… 1. Go to to create an account with Khan Academy or sign into your existing account. 2. Choose to LINK your Collegeboard and Khan Academy accounts. 3. Create a Collegeboard account or sign in to your existing account and click send to send your scores. Now you are all set to get personalized practice based on your test results. Sign Up, Link Up, and Get Practicing

Complex Changes  ** Revamped essay Instead of penning a personal essay for the writing section, students taking the new SAT will be asked to read a passage and then explain how the author is persuading the audience. The essay question will be consistent and will be widely available before the test, but the students won’t see the passage until they take the test.essay  ** Evidence-focused reading : Just like the new essay section, the reading section will also be more focused on evidence. Students will be asked a question about the text, and then asked which piece of evidence best supports that answer. That means if you get the first question wrong, it could be difficult to get the second question right.reading :

More Complex Changes  ** No more obscure vocabulary: Instead of quizzing students on words they’ll never use again like “abrogate” or “plaudit,” the new SAT asks students to define a word based on how it’s used in context. Sample questions show familiar words that can have various meanings—for example, “intense” can mean “concentrated,” “emotional” or “determined,” depending on the context.obscure vocabulary:  ** More graphs and charts: The new test will have an increased emphasis on questions that make students infer information from graphs and charts, especially in the reading section. Students will also be asked to revise sentences in order to make them consistent with information in graphs. graphs and charts:

Interesting Changes!  ** Inclusion of classic texts. As part of the plan to make the reading texts more complex and therefore more similar to what you might read in school, the new SAT reading will include excerpts from texts from the Western canon, including stories and essays by famous authors, U.S. founding documents, and other historically important works. Because these are often quite old, they include a lot more challenging language.

Don’t forget about Free Tutoring through KHAN ACADEMY  Practice Tests available 

New SAT vs ACT: Math Section New SAT  Time: Calculator: 55 min No Calculator: 25 min  # of Questions: Calculator: 38 questions No Calculator: 20 question  Topics:  Heart of Algebra — 33% Problem Solving and Data Analysis — 28% Passport to Advanced Math — 29% Additional Topics in Math — 10% ACT  Time: 60 min  # of Questions: 60 questions  Topics: Pre-algebra — 20-25% Elementary algebra — 15-20% Intermediate algebra — 15-20% Coordinate geometry — 15-20% Plane geometry — 20-25% Trigonometry — 5-10%

New SAT vs ACT: English Section New SAT  Time: 35 min  # of Questions: 4 passages, 44 questions  Content: Standard English Conventions: 20 questions (45%), covering sentence structure, conventions of usage, and conventions of punctuation Expression of Ideas: 24 questions (55%), covering development, organization and effective language use ACT  Time: 45 min  # of Questions: 5 passages, 75 questions  Content: Usage and Mechanics: sentence structure (20-25%), grammar and usage (15-20%), and punctuation (10-15%) Rhetorical Skills: style (15- 20%), strategy (15-20%), and organization (10-15%)

New SAT vs ACT: Reading Section New SAT  Time: 65 min  # of Questions: 5 passages, 52 questions  Passage Types: 1 U.S. or World Literature, 2 History or Social Studies, 2 Science  Question Types: Main Idea, Vocab-in-Context, Inference, Evidence Support, Data Reasoning, Technique, Detail-Oriented ACT  Time: 35 min  # of Questions:  4 passages, 40 questions  Passage Types: 1 Prose Fiction or Literary Narrative, 1 Social Sciences, 1 Humanities, 1 Natural Sciences  Question Types: Main Idea, Vocab-in-Context, Inference, Detail-Oriented

New SAT vs ACT: Essay Section New SAT  Time: 50 min  Optional: YES  Scoring Domains: Writing, Reading, and Analysis ACT  Time: 40 min  Optional: YES  Scoring Domains: Ideas and Analysis, Development and Support, Organization, and Language Use and Conventions

Science Section on the ACT & Incorporated throughout the SAT  There still won't be a science section on the new SAT, but the College Board is attempting to incorporate those skills into the other three sections. According to the SAT website, the new test "will call on the same sorts of knowledge and skills that students will use in college, in their jobs, and throughout their lives to make sense of recent discoveries, political developments, global events, and health and environmental issues."  To that end, the redesigned SAT will include questions that ask you to analyze a chart or graph in all three sections, as well as two reading passages on scientific topics.  The ACT will continue to have a lot more science questions, since it has a dedicated science section. It also asks more complex questions than the new SAT will, especially with regards to experimental design.

Very Important TIP to Remember! NO Penalty for Wrong Answers - BOTH the ACT & New SAT

SAT & ACT Prep Recommended during the summer before Junior Year  Kaplan -  Mathnasium  Math Made Simple  Applerouth Tutoring Services  College Edge www.CollegeEdgeOnline.com  Club Z Tutoring http://clubztutoring.com/charleston  Jantzi Test Prep SATwww.4satprep.com  Life Management www.lifemanagement.org  Power Score www.powerscore.com  Prep Now Tutoring PREPwww.PrepNow.com

SAT & ACT Prep Recommended during the summer before Junior Year  The Princeton Review  Chegg Test Prep SAT Test Prep ACT Test Prep  Study Buddy Homework Help: Free Online Tutoring in Math, Chemistry, Physics, SAT/ACT, AP Chemistry, & AP Calculus

The New SAT What Every Parent Should Know *Presented by Joe Scarella, Tutor with over 8 years of experience  Differences in the New SAT  Compare the ACT to the New SAT  How to study and prepare  Relevant topics and subject matter  Post-secondary views of an unproven exam Wednesday, February 24 th 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. At Mt. Pleasant Regional Library 1133 Mathis Ferry Road Mt. Pleasant, SC

ACT offers an Online Prep $39.95 for one year

Create an Account for both ACT & SAT  ACT: ACT Test Dates April 9, 2016; Register Deadline March 4, 2016 June 11, 2016; Register Deadline May 6, 2016 September 10, 2016 October 22, 2016 December 10, 2016 February 11, 2017* April 8, 2017 June 10, 2017  SAT Spring 2016 Test Dates May 7, 2016; Registration Deadline April 8, 2016 June 4, 2016; Registration Deadline May 5, 2016

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