Assessment & Accountability

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored 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 you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.

• Critical reading skills
• Math problem-solving skills
• Writing Skills

Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS)

TELPAS is an assessment program for students in Texas public schools who are learning the English language.  The Texas Education Agency (TEA) developed TELPAS to meet state and federal testing requirements.  Texas assesses English language learners (ELLs) annually in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  Students learning the English language begin participating in TELPAS in kindergarten and stop participating when their language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) determines that they are proficient in the English language. 

For students in kindergarten through grade 1, TELPAS consists of holistically rated assessments in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The holistically rated assessments use classroom observations to measure students' progress in listening, speaking, and writing in English. 

For students in grades 2-12, TELPAS has multiple-choice reading tests and holistically rated assessments in listening, speaking, and writing.  TELPAS assesses the progress that students are making in learning English.  The multiple-choice reading test is a one-day test that measures students' annual progress in learning to read in English.  The assessments of listening, speaking, and writing are based on classroom observations and a collection of the students' writing. 

Physical Readiness

1. Get a good night’s sleep.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
3. Wear comfortable clothing, as long as they follow school dress code.
4. Do not forget to take medications as prescribed by your doctor.
5. If you are supposed to wear glasses or contacts, wear them.

Reduce Anxiety

1. Be on time to school.
2. Pace yourself during the test. Remember you have as much time as you need.
3. Don’t worry about the whole test at once – tackle questions one at a time.
4. Don’t “score” yourself as you take the test.
5. Don’t look for letter patterns of correct answers.
6. Don’t panic if you have a memory lapse or mental block. This is normal. Go on to the next item and come back to the trouble spot later.
7. Don’t expect to know the answer to every question. Expect some items to be too hard. Just do your best.
8. Avoid unnecessary clock-watching, but do be aware of the time.
9. Ignore other test takers.
10. Think positively.
11. Don’t give up!

Follow Directions

1. Read all directions carefully.
2. Do the sample questions even though you think you understand.
3. If you don’t completely understand what to do, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
4. Sometimes you will need to reread the directions or the questions to be sure you are answering what is being asked.
5. Don’t assume that all the questions in the same section follow the same pattern. One question may ask for a true statement, the next many ask which statement is not true.
6. Don’t guess wildly on a question. Try to eliminate one or two choices to a question. If you guess, make an “educated guess.”
7. Make sure that your answers are on the answer document.

Test-Taking Strategies

1. Read the passage.
2. Highlight important ideas.
3. Read the question.
4. Go back and read the passage again.
5. Look for answers, one question at a time.
6. Before answering, go back to the passage to check your choice.
7. Eliminate any answer that you know is not correct.
8. Once you get the choice down to two, look at the passage again and make a decision.
9. Answer all questions: don’t leave anything blank.
10. If you get tired during the test, get a drink of water.
11. If you need to use the restroom, ask the proctor to allow you to go.
12. Do not rush.
13. Even if everyone else is finished, work at your own pace in order to do the best you can.