The College Board recognizes that students will traverse different paths after high school. Some will need remediation and additional practice in order to achieve postsecondary academic success; others will be ready for college-level course work in high school. Research-validated programs and resources that support teachers, students and families can be extremely beneficial in cultivating college readiness. To support its mission to connect more students with college success and opportunity, the College Board has developed a flexible, integrated series of college readiness assessments, provides rigorous curricula and offers professional development resources that educators can use to ensure more students are prepared for educational opportunities after high school.

The College Board’s College and Career Readiness Pathway

The College Board’s College and Career Readiness Pathway is a series of integrated assessments — ReadiStep, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT and— that measure a student’s college readiness from the eighth through 12th grades. When educators use these assessments as a comprehensive program, they systematically and progressively measure the reading, writing and mathematical knowledge and skills that are critical for success.

The feedback and tools within the Pathway also help students improve their skills and enable immediate academic intervention by teachers to enhance learning, which is critical in the drive to increase college and career readiness.

ReadiStep^TM

Offering early feedback to help students identify the skills they need to be college ready.

PSAT/NMSQT^®

Identifying potential success in AP and areas of opportunity for improved college readiness.

Research indicates that PSAT/NMSQT scores are strong predictors of student success in AP. The PSAT/NMSQT can provide high school educators with guidance in identifying students who may be ready for the rigor of AP.

SAT

Providing insight into a student’s level of college readiness and potential for college success.

PSAT/NMSQT

The Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) provides an early indication of a student’s readiness for college-level work and can help educators identify students with the potential to succeed in Advanced Placement^® courses. The PSAT/NMSQT Score Report offers extensive, personalized feedback about each student’s performance in reading, mathematics and writing that will help better prepare them for the SAT and college.

Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT receive access to My College QuickStart^™, a free, personalized college-planning tool developed by the College Board. My College QuickStart includes: an enhanced score report with each test question, the student’s answer and the correct answer with explanations; a customized SAT study plan based on PSAT/NMSQT performance; tools to help the student discover potential majors and careers; and a starter list of colleges based on the student’s home state and intended major.

PSAT/NMSQT and SAT Performance

The PSAT/NMSQT measures the same skills as the SAT, and students who take the PSAT/NMSQT generally perform better on the SAT than students who did not take the PSAT/NMSQT.

 

SAT Performance — by PSAT/NMSQT Participation
	%	CR	M	W
	All Schools
Took the PSAT/NMSQT	78%	512	507	507
Did Not Take the PSAT/NMSQT	22%	462	453	453
Difference		50	54	54
Combined Difference	+136
	Public Schools
Took the PSAT/NMSQT	80%	507	521	497
Did-Not Take the PSAT/NMSQT	20%	453	463	438
Difference		54	58	59
Combined Difference	+171

The SAT in K-12

Districts and states that offer the SAT to every student help establish new opportunities for students to achieve their higher education aspirations. Teachers and administrators at the secondary school level can use SAT results measure their students’ college readiness and to tailor a curriculum that best addresses the needs of their students.

SAT School Day

The College Board now offers states and districts the option of hosting the SAT during a school day. The SAT School Day, offered in the fall and the spring, helps states and districts foster a college-going culture. It also sends a powerful message of a state or a district’s commitment to preparing all students for life after high school.

During the 2011-12 school year, the SAT was administered during the school day to more than 45,000 students in districts across seven states, including all public school juniors in Delaware and Idaho. The overall participation rate for SAT School Day was 93 percent, meaning virtually all eligible students took advantage of the opportunity to take a college entrance exam at no charge. At least 40 percent of students in every participating state or district qualified for the federal free and reduced lunch program.