Ketterer Charter School offers a variety of formal assessment opportunities in order to maximize every student’s educational potential. These include the PSAT, SAT and ACT are aptitude tests that are offered by The College Board (www.collegeboard.org) for college bound high school students.
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It’s a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT®. It also gives students a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.
The PSAT/NMSQT is offered once per year in schools around the country. Ketterer Charter School offers the PSAT/NMSQT on the available Wednesday test date in mid-October. College-bound students in grades 10 and 11 are encouraged to take the PSAT. The cost of the PSAT is approximately $15.00, and a limited number of fee waivers are available for eligible 11th grade students.
The SAT is taken by high school students who are planning to attend a four-year university upon graduation from high school. It is recommended that college-bound students take the SAT during the spring of their junior year of high school and in the fall of their senior year of high school. Students may take the SAT at any time during their high school career.
A limited number of fee waivers are available to students who meet certain eligibility criteria. Because the school receives a limited number of fee waivers, they are given first to seniors and then juniors if still available. Students in 10th grade or under cannot qualify for a fee waiver. A student may use a maximum of two fee waivers throughout his or her high school career.
The SAT is offered several times per year at a number of local high schools. For SAT test dates, registration deadlines, and test centers, visit http://sat.collegeboard.org and click “Register.”
Practice materials for the SAT are available through the Guidance Department and on the College Board website (www.collegeboard.org).
Please note that not all post-secondary institutions require that a student take a college entrance exam, such as the SAT, to be admitted. Many community colleges do not require the SAT, nor do trade schools. It is recommended that students check the admissions requirements for schools in which they are interested prior to taking the SAT.
The ACT is a national college admission exam that consists of subject area tests in English, Math, Reading, Science and Writing. ACT results are accepted by all four year college and universities and the test is a great alternative to the SAT exam. The ACT is administered six times during the year at various local high schools. Please see Guidance if you are interested in taking the ACT exam.
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is administered annually to students in grades 3-8. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has set testing windows that can be viewed on the testing calendar.
All 11th grade students in the state of Pennsylvania are required to take Keystone Exams in the subject areas of Algebra 1, Biology and Literature. Additionally, any student enrolled in a Keystone Exam related course (Algebra 1, Biology or Literature) is required to take corresponding Keystone Exams(s). The Pennsylvania Department of Education has set testing windows that can be viewed on the testing calendar
For more information about the PSSA or Keystone Exams, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education website (http://www.education.state.pa.us) or contact the Guidance Department.
Study Island Benchmark tests are administered quarterly to assess student progress toward meeting Pennsylvania standards and provide valuable information to inform instruction. By exposing students to the content and item types they will experience on state summative assessments, teachers are able to use their time with their students efficiently and effectively.
The Pennsylvania Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDT) is a set of online assessments, divided by content areas (Literacy, Mathematics, and Science), and is designed to provide diagnostic information to guide instruction in order to support intervention and enrichment. The CDT reporting system is fully integrated in the Standards Aligned System (SAS). It assists educators in identifying student academic strengths and areas in need of improvement, and provides links to classroom resources.
The purpose of the CDT is to provide information that will help guide instruction by providing support to students and teachers. The CDT reports are designed to provide a picture or snapshot of how students are performing in relation to the Pennsylvania Assessment Anchors & Eligible Content and Keystone Assessment Anchors & Eligible Content. (Mathematics and English Language Arts are aligned to the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Science is aligned to Pennsylvania Assessment Anchors and Eligible Content.)