Monday, September 14, 2020
Dear SHS Families and Students,
Every year, students are required to take a series of assessments aimed at taking the pulse of their academic progress and aptitude. As we all experienced the interruptions posed by COVID-19 in the spring, all assessments taken in the spring were postponed until the resumption of school. Now that we are back to a blend of virtual and in-person learning, the requirements for students taking these assessments has been relaxed. However, we want to honor the opportunity for our current Seniors to sit for the SAT and our current Juniors to take the NMSQT test on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. Our Seniors and Juniors are the only grade levels who may experience standardized testing this fall.
In regards to the SAT, Michigan colleges and universities have varying levels of merit placed into the assessment for their admissions decisions. Given the impact of COVID-19, area colleges and universities are indicating the SAT is more of a formality for their admissions decisions. Meanwhile, students looking at schools outside of our state or at more competitive four year universities are highly encouraged to have a SAT score on their official transcripts. The State of Michigan has required that all graduates take the SAT; however, given the adjustments posed by the pandemic, this requirement has been waived for the Class of 2021.
Traditionally, all Juniors take the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) each fall. This assessment, modeled after the PSAT test, identifies students who are in the top three percent of scores on the test, initiating a process for students to participate in future assessments for college scholarships.
While neither the fall SAT make-up for our Seniors or the NMSQT assessment for our Juniors is mandatory, we want to honor the commitment of this opportunity for our students. Therefore, the Google Form accessible by clicking here is for our Juniors and Seniors to sit for the SAT and NMSQT assessments on October 14th.
In order to accommodate our students taking the SAT and NMSQT tests, we will adjust our week. Wednesday, October 14th will be our scheduled virtual day while our Purple Day students will report to school on October 12 and 15 while our Gold Day students will report for in-person learning on October 13 and 16.
Students should submit their request for taking the SAT or NMSQT by Friday, September 18, 2020. If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please contact our Guidance Department at (269) 488-7350.
With best regards,
Matthew J. Dailey, Principal
Larry Ledlow, School Counselor
Please click here for a copy of the letter.