TUHSD pays for PSAT for all students

Katelynn Showers, Managing Editor, Features Editor

Joseph Melone, was about digital citizenship. In the class- rooms, teachers discussed goal setting for students.”

In the second hour class, teachers discussed goal-setting with students.

The PSAT is the test that determines who is named National Merit Semifinalists. National Merit Semifinalists have the opportunity to earn scholarships for college.

For the first time, the Tempe Union High School District paid for the PSAT to be administered to students.

“The district wants everyone to have the opportunity to take the test, and they thought it would give them good feedback on how students are performing. It also gives more students exposure to the SAT and ACT test. This is also good for identifying candidates for Advanced Placement classes,” counselor Melinda Coronado said.

Scoring well on the PSAT allows for scholarship opportunities, and qualification for the National Merit Scholar- ship, a full-ride scholarship to select colleges.

“I think it’s really cool that the PSAT was paid for by the district. More people get the opportunity to prepare for this and it opens them up for more educational opportunities in the future,” sophomore Harishini Venkatachalam said.

Students have prepared for the PSAT through classes and test workbooks. Every student was given a practice booklet during their third period class.

“I have taken AP tests, practice AP tests, and studied difficult advanced vocabulary. Basically everything I do in my Academy classes has done a wonderful job of preparing me,” sophomore Sahel Hosseini Moazezi said.

Students often increase their scores with multiple test opportunities, so having students start taking the test as freshman increases their odds of success.