PSAT 8/9 for Incoming Freshmen: Class of 2028

psat8

Friday, October 20, 2023

All rising freshmen from District 46 and PCCS are automatically registered for this exam and there is no fee.

Students must bring:

  • Charged Chromebook

  • Writing utensil for scratch work

  • Power cord

  • Water bottle, optional

  • Calculator, optional (PSAT8 Calculator Info; a Desmos calculator is built into the digital test)

GCHS will provide lunch (nut free, gluten free) for students, but students are welcome to bring their own cold lunch if they wish.

Why are we offering this high school placement exam?

In past years, the PSAT 8 exam was a paper and pencil exam offered on a Saturday.  The College Board, which produces the exam, has switched to a digital-only model for all PSAT and SAT exams.  We are partnering with a few of our sender schools to pilot this new exam during a school day instead of on a Saturday. There are several reasons we have chosen to move forward with this pilot: 

  • Offering the exam on a school day eliminates the barriers to families that exist when offered on the weekend and without available transportation.  

  • State law now allows students who meet or exceed performance benchmarks in math and/or reading on a nationally normed assessment to automatically enroll in the next most rigorous level of a core class (move from regular level to honors or AP.)  If administered during the school day, more students will be able to have data to participate. 

  • By using the official College Board exam, students will have data in their College Board accounts that allows families to track student growth on the SAT suite of assessments over their high school career and tap into Khan Academy lessons, an online learning site that partners with College Board to provide just-in-time learning supports. 

  • Students will be exposed early to the model of state assessments they will encounter throughout their high school career. 

  • Because this is a new digital exam, it is important we have access to College Board digital support during the testing session.  There will be more support on a weekday than on a weekend. 

What will the day look like?

  • Students who are going to Grayslake North or Grayslake Central High School will be picked up by bus at their middle schools on the morning of October 20th and transported to their respective high school.  Due to space constraints, some students may test at other high schools. 

  • Students will then take the PSAT 8 exam, which, under standard conditions, takes 2 hours and 14 minutes plus breaks.  There are two parts: a 64-minute reading and writing test, and a 70-minute math test. 

  • Following the exam, students will get lunch and take the bus back to their middle schools.  Students will be back at their schools before the end of their school day.  NOTE: Students with extended time accommodations that will not allow them to finish in time may have a different drop-off time, and families in those circumstances will be contacted individually. 

  • There will be no makeup date.  Students who cannot attend will use other assessment data (MAP or IAR) for the purposes of high school placement/course selection. 

Thank you so much for your support as we navigate this first-ever digital PSAT pilot. If you’d like to learn more about the SAT suite of assessments you can visit the College Board website. 

For any questions regarding the test day , please contact Julie Bryniczka, Associate Principal.

For any questions regarding accommodated testing, please contact Dan Erlenbaugh, SSD Coordinator.

For any questions related to the specific test, please contact Kevin O’Connor, Testing Coordinator.