1 Make the Most of the PSAT/NMSQT ® A road map for putting more students on the path to college.

2 Agenda  What is the PSAT/NMSQT ® ?  The College and Career Readiness Pathway  Basics  Coordinating the PSAT/NMSQT program: Before the test On test day After the test

3 What is the PSAT/NMSQT ® ?

4 ?  Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) –A comprehensive assessment program that measures college readiness and provides valuable tools to help students start planning for the future  Administered by high schools annually in October, the PSAT/NMSQT –Measures skills in critical reading, mathematics and writing –Helps put students on the path to college

5 PSAT/NMSQT ® Helps Students  Prepare for the SAT ®  Enter scholarship and recognition competitions  Improve academic skills  Plan for college and careers  Connect with colleges

6 PSAT/NMSQT ® Helps Educators  Build a college-going culture  Increase access to AP ® courses  Collect and use valuable data  Prepare students for the SAT ® essay  Identify strengths and weaknesses in specific academic skills

7 Intervening Early A Pathway to Performance College and Career Readiness Expectations for All Students Three integrated assessments — one powerful tool The College Board’s College and Career Readiness Pathway is a series of integrated diagnostic assessments that measures college and career readiness from the 8th through the 12th grades. Identifying Opportunity Providing College Access

8 Basics

9 PSAT/NMSQT ® Assessment Basics  Content : –Critical reading, including sentence completion and passage-based multiple-choice questions –Mathematics, including multiple-choice and student-produced response questions –Writing, covering improving sentences, identifying sentence errors, and improving paragraph questions  Administration: –Paper-and-pencil test –Given in school on Wednesday, October 16 or Saturday, October 19

10 Process Skills  Problem Solving  Representation  Reasoning  Connections  Communication Skill Categories Measured Critical Reading  Determining the Meaning of Words  Author’s Craft  Reasoning & Inference  Organization & Ideas  Understanding Literary Elements Mathematics  Content Skills –Number & Operations –Algebra & Functions –Geometry & Measurement –Data, Statistics & Probability Writing  Grammatical Relationships Between Words  Words & Phrases Used to Modify or Compare  Phrases & Clauses  Correctly Formed Sentences  Relationships of Sentences & Paragraphs

Dates and Deadlines

12 Maximizing Effectiveness Coordinating the PSAT/NMSQT ® Program

13 Before the Test Notify students and parents about the PSAT/NMSQT ® :  Explain the benefits.  Discuss the importance of its actionable feedback on areas requiring improvement.  Describe the PSAT/NMSQT’s connection to SAT ® and role as part of the college-going process.

14 Before the Test Distribute materials: To Students:  The Student Guide with full practice test and test-taking tips To Staff:  Copies of The Supervisor’s Manual  The Associate Supervisor/Proctor Checklist found in the Educator Guide

15 Before the Test  Visit collegeboard.org/testright. –Obtain helpful advice, forms and information to help you manage test day.  Check your materials. –Make sure you’ve received thecorrect number of tests and verify that all answer sheets are for thecorrect test date.  Store the tests securely. –Prevent any student from gaining an unfair advantage.

16 Before the Test  Define student ID.  Define optional codes, if desired.  Complete the pre-administration option, if desired.

17 On Test Day  Know what students should bring.  Know testing protocol.  Turn off classroom bells, and remove visual aids from testing rooms.  Actively monitor test rooms, halls and restrooms to ensure policies are being followed.  Keep control of test materials before and after student use.

18 After the Test Collect and count answer sheets.  Collect answer sheets from each student individually. Do not have them passed to you.  Make sure students do not put their answer sheets inside the test books.  Count answer sheets, and verify that you have one for each student.  Check student gridding. Collect and count test books.  After accounting for the answer sheets, collect the test books from students individually in the same order in which you distributed them.  Count used test books and verify that you have one for each student.

19 After the Test Complete the Supervisor’s Irregularity Report, if applicable. (See guidelines and report in Supervisor’s Manual.) Protect test materials after the test.  When all test materials have been accounted for, place them where they will not be accessible to the students.  Keep test books in secure storage until score reports arrive in December for each student.

20 After the Test Return Materials for Scoring.  Complete the Supervisor’s Report Form.  Return materials no later than the day after the administration.  Follow return instructions in the Supervisor’s Manual.  Use the original white shipping box provided.  Arrange for package pickup with courier (usually UPS).

21 After the Test  Complete the Online Remittance Report. –Log on to collegeboard.org/school to generate your school’s remittance report.collegeboard.org/school –Even if your district or state is paying for a grade, you should still fill this out and return it with your answer sheets.  Complete the Fee-Waiver Roster, if Applicable. –If your school is using fee waivers, you must submit a Fee-Waiver Roster. –The Fee-Waiver Roster may be completed at