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Division presents PSAT/SAT data and steps to boost college/career readiness
Summary
The board heard College Board data on PSAT 8/9 and NMSQT results, differential performance between English and math, subgroup gaps and district strategies including AP expansion, dual enrollment and parent/student supports.
York County—s academic leaders briefed the School Board on Jan. 13 about student performance on the PSAT suite (PSAT 8/9 and the NMSQT) and how the division will use assessment results to guide course placement, AP/dual-enrollment offerings and counseling.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Candy Skinner presented the College Board—s PSAT reporting framework, explained how the adaptive digital PSAT and SAT administrations work and described the benchmarks for evidence-based reading and writing (ERW) and math that the College Board associates with a roughly 75% chance of passing entry-level college courses.
Results and trends: For the most recent fall administration, Dr. Skinner said 67% of 9th-grade students met the ERW benchmark on the PSAT 8/9 and 46% met the math benchmark; 44% met both benchmarks. For the NMSQT (11th grade) the division saw smaller year-over-year gains in ERW and mixed subgroup results: some demographic groups improved while others, including Black students on the NMSQT, showed declines in the period reported. The division noted caution when comparing longitudinal scores because College Board moved to shorter, adaptive digital tests and changed score scales in 2023-24.
Explaining the math/English gap: Skinner and staff said part of the math gap reflects course-taking patterns (many ninth graders have not yet completed geometry whereas reading/writing instruction is more uniform across grade-level classes). The PSAT math blueprint places significant weight on algebra and problem solving; course placement matters for student performance.
Division actions: Staff listed steps to support students: adding AP Seminar and AP Research to the program of studies, expanding dual-enrollment options, partnering with College Board for counselor training, offering SAT/PSAT preparation (including a free summer SAT prep academy), launching a self-paced Canvas SAT prep course and hosting a PSAT parent university so families can interpret score reports and plan coursework.
Why it matters: Dr. Skinner emphasized that PSAT data is used to identify AP potential, guide course placement and target interventions; counselors and career coaches will use student interest surveys and career-insight reports to align students with CTE and postsecondary pathways.
What—s next: Staff will continue to analyze subgroup results, provide counselor training alongside College Board representatives and schedule parent outreach on test reports and course-planning resources.
