National Merit Scholarships and the New PSAT

National Merit

Scholarships and the

New PSATPresented by: Jesse Pizarro

Regional Trainer — Southern California

• National Merit

Scholarships

• The New,

Harder PSAT• Math

• Reading

• Writing

• Preparing for

Success

Agenda

• Students who perform exceptionally well on the PSAT

as 11th Graders

~ 1,500,000 Students take the exam

~ 50,000 “Commended” Students

~ 16,000 Semi-Finalists

~ 15,000 Finalists

~ 7600 Award Recipients

~ 1300 Non-Finalists receive Special Scholarships

• More info at www.NationalMerit.org

National Merit Scholarships: Numbers

• National Merit $2500

Scholarship

• Corporate-sponsored merit

scholarships

– Awarded by companies based on

their own criteria

– Check to see if your parents work

for such a company

• College-sponsored merit

scholarship awards

– $500 - $2500 annually

National Merit Scholarship Types

• Cut-offs vary by state and year

• Larger (population) states tend to have higher cutoffs

• Example 222 score: 75 M/75 CR/72 WR

State Cutoff (Class of 2015)

California 222

Georgia 215

New York 218

Texas 218

Virginia 219

National Merit Scholarship: Qualifying

• Excellent SAT scores

• Excellent academic performance

in school

• Endorsement of your principal

• Completion of application materials

National Merit Scholarship: Further Criteria

Acing the

New, Harder

PSAT

National Merit Scholarship: The Most Important Part

When will this happen?

New PSAT: October 2015

New SAT: March 2016

What is the

Common Core?

State governors and education officials

began this initiative in 2009 in response

to two problems:

• Inconsistent standards among states

• Perceived low standards in the United States

compared to those in the rest of the world

The Common Core: Origins

• Provide a consistent, clear

understanding of what

students are expected to

learn so teachers and parents

know what they need to do to

help them

• Designed to be robust &

relevant to the real world

• Create students who are

better prepared for college

and career

The Common Core: Goals

IT’S COMING…

The Common Core: Adoption

Source: www.corestandards.org

IT’S COMING…

The Common Core: Adoption

Adopted

Not Adopted

• The current PSAT is not

well-aligned with what’s

taught in school

• Colleges are questioning

the PSAT/SAT

• The Architect of the

Common Core, David

Coleman, is now the

President of the

CollegeBoard

The New PSAT & the Common Core

So what does this mean?

The New PSAT is unofficially the

“10th/11th Grade Common Core

Assessment”

1. Math

2. Evidence-

Based Reading

& Writing

The Test: Two Subjects

• Scored on a 320 to 1520

scale, similar to the SAT

• Math score out of 760

• Verbal (combined Reading

and Writing) score out of 760

• 4 answers options per

question; guessing

penalty eliminated!

• 2 hours, 45 minutes

General Test Changes

Topic %

Heart of Algebra

• Analyzing and fluently solving equations and systems of equations

• Creating expressions, equations, and inequalities to represent relationships

• Rearranging and interpreting formulas

32%

Problem Solving and Data Analysis

• Creating and analyzing relationships using ratios, proportions, and

percentages

• Describing relationships shown graphically

• Summarizing qualitative and quantitative data

32%

Passport to Advanced Math

• Rewriting expressions using their structure

• Creating, analyzing, and fluently solving quadratic and higher-order

equations

• Manipulating polynomials purposefully to solve problems

32%

Additional Topics in Math

• Making area and volume calculations in context

• Investigating lines, angles, triangles, and circles using theorems

• Working with trigonometric functions

4%

Math

Algebra I Geometry Algebra 2 Precalculus

Geometry Alg II/Trig PreCalculusCalculus AB

or BC

Geometry/Alg II

Precalculus Calculus AB Calculus BC

Standard Math Schedules

Common Core New PSAT

Know how to “use tools strategically”No calculator for some sections.

Problems with multiple potential solution paths

• Practice A LOT to sharpen mental math skills.

• For every new topic learned, practice an extra 30 minutes daily.

• Learn to tackle problems from multiple angles.

• Try problems both with a calculator and without one.

Math

Common Core New PSAT

Fewer Topics in Greater Depth Terms and definitions are critical for success.

• Master the fine print: take notes & never skip a problem in your own

math textbooks!

• Consider your math schedule and how it lines up with the SAT.

• You need to know up to Trigonometry, and even Pre-Calculus.

Math

Common Core New PSAT

A focus on “Real world scenarios” Expect to see tons of word problems.

• Become a word problem guru.

• Not only do you need to know the math, you need to know how

different topics relate to each other.

• Many word problems will require multi-step solutions so train

yourself to think in “step-by-step” processes.

Math

• Math will be more challenging!• Fewer topics but you’ll need more in-depth knowledge!

• Your problem solving skills will need to be stronger• There will be multiple ways to solve a problem, but you’ll need

to decide the “optimal” path to solving a problem

• Mental math will be required for No-Calculator sections

• Word problems, word problems, word problems!• With a focus on “Real World” scenarios, you’ll be seeing far

more graphs, charts, and word problems!

So what does this mean?

Current PSAT: Reading

Committed/devoted

Setting aside for memorial

purposes

Reading: Focus on Multiple Meaning

Every passage will have

2 of these!

Tricky vocab not

“tested” but language in

text is harder – if you

can’t understand the

passage, you can’t

answer the questions!

Reading

Common Core New PSAT

• Literary Skills across various subjects

• Read and analyze U.S. documents of historical

and literary significance

• College-level reading passages

• More non-fiction text from science, history, and

social studies

• Some passages will be from “Founding

Documents” or from the Greater Global

Conversation.

• Challenge yourself by reading more non-fiction. Biographies of

famous U.S. historical figures are a great start.

• Take notes when you are reading through your history or

science textbooks from school.

• Get familiar with U.S. founding history.

Reading

Common Core New PSAT

• Emphasis on diagrams and data analysis• Reading & Writing will include tables, charts, and

other graphics

• Read A LOT. Never skip those charts and graphs in your

history or science textbooks.

• Read a LOT of non-fiction, especially newspapers like the New

York Times or the Wall Street Journal.

• Check out fivethirtyeight.com and/or nytimes.com/upshot.

Reading

Common Core New PSAT

• Citing Textual Evidence

• Evidence-based reading and writing will include

paired “evidence” questions.

• The answer you choose for one question will

directly affect the other.

• Practice the art of Close Reading!

• Learn to analyze text & understand how the author is using

evidence.

• Learn to take smarter notes when reading.

Reading

• Reading will be harder!• When was the last time you read a speech from a U.S.

Senator or Supreme Court Justice?

• No such thing as “skimming!”• Close Reading Skills require lots of practice & long-term

development

• “Reading” isn’t enough – deeper interpretation

matters!• Do you carefully read the charts found in your textbook for

subjects like history & science? What about those pesky

charts used in newspaper articles?

So what does this mean?

Common Core New PSAT

• Literary Skills across various subjects

• Read and analyze U.S. documents of historical

and literary significance

• College-level reading passages

• The Writing Test requires a LOT of reading.

• Get a head start by using the ACT’s English Test to practice

the type of reading & revising skills the New SAT will test.

• Aim to boost your reading speed by reading A LOT!!!

• Review your basic grammar & usage rules.

Writing

• Writing will be harder!• You have only 35 minutes for 4 passages (44 total

questions)

• You’ll need to read passages, edit, and revise – much like

revising a research paper!

• You’ll need multiple skills• Strong vocabulary, command of evidence, and ability to

read charts & graphs

• Grammar still matters!• The bulk of the exam remains a test of grammar concepts,

like subject-verb agreement, parallelism, and using proper

sentence structure.

So what does this mean?

The goal of the CollegeBoard is to make the SAT more

relevant to what students need to succeed in college and in

their careers and more closely match what is studied in

school.

However…

improving at schoolwork is hard!!

How do I prepare?

Create a Plan

• Know your dates– October 2015 for the New PSAT

• Know which test you plan to

take next– SAT or ACT? New SAT or Old SAT?

– Check out C2’s Webinars on these topics

at www.c2educate.com/webinars

• Be realistic

• Use your summers well

Plan Essentials

Diagnostics

• Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses

• Provide a basis for a customized program

Customized Programs

• Tailored to meet each student’s needs

• Focus on weaknesses instead of needless review

Excellent Teachers

• Score in the 95th percentile

• Not just educators, but mentors and support system

Amazing Results

• Average SAT increase of 350 points (3 points on ACT)

• 100% see grade improvements within one year

The C2 Method