Some schools in Delaware are now requiring ninth- and tenth-grade students to take the PSAT, and this seems to be part of a larger, nationwide trend:
Delaware is joining several states nationwide this year by requiring ninth- and 10th-graders to take the exam, typically taken by 11th-graders. Taking the PSAT has been voluntary until this year...
School districts are increasingly using the PSAT as a diagnostic tool to identify students who should take more rigorous courses. Educators in North Carolina, Florida, New York, Virginia and Maryland have used the PSAT in high school course placement.
Christina Superintendent Joseph Wise and other education officials said they believe taking advanced courses will help students do better in the Delaware State Testing Program and prepare them for college...
Beth Robinson of the College Board, which oversees the PSAT and SAT, said the number of younger students taking the test is growing. Some schools give the test before eighth grade...Advanced placement courses have become almost a requirement for acceptance into the most selective universities across the nation, Robinson said.
The College Board can analyze results of the PSAT to identify students who might be overlooked for advanced classes.
Some students are already nervous about the exam, but the results don't count until the 11th grade, when good scores can bring cold hard cash in the form of National Merit Scholarships. What's more, the PSAT is excellent practice for the SAT, as well as being a useful tool for identifying student abilities, and I agree with one administrator that free PSATs are a "gift" to the students.
The Montgomery County School District in Maryland has given the PSAT to its 10th-graders since 2000. Spokeswoman Kate Harrison said 67 percent of its high school students are enrolled this year in at least one honors or advanced placement class, up from 55 percent in 1999. The percentage of black students in the district enrolled in advanced classes went up from 31.7 percent in 1999 to 47.4 percent in 2002. Hispanic enrollment in advanced classes rose from 31.6 percent to 42.4 percent and Asian enrollment from 69.5 percent to 81.1 percent during that time period.
I think it's a great idea, and it's nice to see some data that suggest this type of preparation can help all students.
Posted by kswygert at October 21, 2003 01:39 PM