This spring was the first year PSAT 8 was administered as the state assessment for eighth graders. This new test represents a shift in content, item types and an entry point on the scale of determining college readiness. For many who are not familiar with the College Board suite of assessments the fact that PSAT 8 is a pre-SAT test and provides a predictive SAT score might not even be known. Unlike the MSTEP the PSAT 8 results come with access to the College Board reporting portal for students, parents and educators.

MASSP has developed a number of resources to help educators, students and parents to learn about PSAT 8 score reports as well as how to set up College Board accounts. 

Understanding Student Test Scores - New Toolkit

For your convenience, MASSP has crafted a toolkit of resources to support your work in rolling out the PSAT/NMSQT results with students and parents. When you access our shared Google Drive, you will find a folder of materials called Understanding Student Test Scores. Included in this Google Drive folder are:

  • Directions on how to set up and host a parent meeting.

  • An editable letter that can be sent to parents inviting them to attend a session on how to better understand their student's test scores.

  • A ready-to-roll PowerPoint (with slide-by-slide speaker's notes) to use at a parent night meeting, where you can explain how to interpret test results.

  • Additional resources that you can use as handouts at your parent night event.

We've also put together a pre-recorded screencast of the parent night PowerPoint that walks parents through the score report. You could choose to share this with parents who missed the meeting, email it to all parents on your listserv, or post it on the school's website if you don't want to have a parent night.

Updated Workshop

MASSP has also created our Data Analysis Protocol Workshop 2.0. Dates and locations across the state for this new workshop are posted on the MASSP website and more continue to be added. Participants will leave the new and improved workshop with a well-developed game plan for remediation, including having learned more about:

  • Breaking down the score report to find items of strength and weakness

  • Identification of students approaching benchmark

  • Considerations for School Improvement Goals

  • Using Khan Academy teacher tools

  • Using the College Board app

  • Curriculum support resources and materials

  • Student career exploration information and guides

In addition to the MASSP-hosted sessions of this workshop, we can also present directly to your staff. If you're interested in booking this workshop in your building/district/ISD, please contact MASSP's Alyssa Schoenherr, alyssa@michiganprincipals.org or (517) 327-5315.

Revised Resources Website

Lastly, we've revised the PSAT/SAT Resources section of the MASSP website. Here you will find links and information for administrators, teachers and counselors, including our toolkits mentioned above, recent webinars and other helpful resources. Feel free to share this information with all educators in your building and let us know if there's something missing.

Written by Wendy Zdeb, MASSP Executive Director