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PSAT
PSAT to be administered during school day
Hannah Gross Staff Writer
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Th is year students will take the PSAT during the school day, on Wednesday, October 10. Previously held on Saturday and costing $25, the PSAT is now off ered to juniors for free. Th e test is open to all students, and school will be dismissed at 12:05.
Th e decision to hold the test during the school day was made by the district, the College Board said. “Th e College Board provides a few date options, but it’s the school or district that decides whether the PSAT will be administered on a Wednesday or Saturday,” said Jaslee Carayol, College Board Associate Director of Media Relations. While the school district opted for the change, they were left with few other choices.
“Th e College Board decided it by limiting our options,” said Bennett Wutkee, assistant principal. “Th ey said if you do it on a Saturday, we’re not going to give you access to those things that actually benefi t the students, including keeping your test booklet. So, all the high schools in the district decided that it needs to be during the week so the students get the benefi t of the exam,” said Wutkee.
Th e PSAT can be benefi cial to students who plan on attending college. “Th e results of the PSAT will provide their strengths and weaknesses, which will allow students to focus their studies for the SAT,” said Lesley Nedwick, counselor. “Th e PSAT refl ects what students are learning in the classroom, measures the skills and knowledge necessary for postsecondary success, and is an important step toward college,” Carayol said.
Wutkee emphasized the test’s importance. “If you’re planning on going to a four-year school, you defi nitely want to consider taking the PSAT as way to get a little bit more experience,” Wutkee said. Underclassmen can benefi t from taking the PSAT for practice, while juniors can qualify for scholarships. “Juniors can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship,” said Nedwick. “(Th e) National Merit Scholarship provides $2,500 towards the student’s freshman year of college.”
Students taking the PSAT will not miss any classroom instruction. “All teachers are aware of the testing schedule and will not go over any new material,” Nedwick said. Th e weekday test date ensures more students can take the test. “On a Saturday, there are confl icts with students and their extracurricular activities, so a handful of students cannot participate,” Wutkee said. “During the school day it is benefi cial because the kids are already going to be here.” Wednesday testing also replicates a collegiate environment. “Administering the test during the school day fosters a collegegoing culture, especially among fi rst-generation college-bound students and students who may otherwise face barriers to standard Saturday administration,” Carayol said.
Despite the benefi ts, the change presents some drawbacks. “It’s really hard for teachers to have to stop what they’re doing so that there’s a day for kids to take the test, and it’s even harder at our school because of the block schedule and the rotators,” Wutkee said. “For kids it’s great, but for teachers it’s very challenging to give up a full day of instruction. (Proctoring is) part of their regular work day so they don’t get additional compensation,” Wutkee said.
Ultimately, whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday, the goal of the test is helping students succeed. “We’ve all got a vested interest in our students doing well, but at the end of the day we just want kids to be able to do their best so that they can have the best opportunities available for them,” Wutkee said.
School board rejects censure
Maya Chari Photographer
An unprecedented policy procedure at the Oct. 2 CVUSD school board meeting left both board members and community members perplexed. Vice President Sandee Everett had previously proposed an action item to censure Trustee Betsy Connolly under the premise of social media misconduct. Yet in the third hour of the meeting, when President John Andersen called for a motion on the issue, Everett was silent.
Aft er a moment of confusion, Connolly requested that Trustee Patricia Phelps make the motion for a censure. “I think the purpose of this is to get the discussion on the table,” Phelps said, tearfully obliging. Connolly seconded.
I m m e d i a t e l y following, Everett requested that the motion be withdrawn. She was denied; according to board bylaw, this action could only have been valid had it been made at the beginning of the meeting when the agenda was approved.
“Th is clearly was a political stunt,” Mary Anne Van Zuyle, community member, said. Every community member who spoke during the action item spoke against the censure.
Everett’s original premise for the censure was an alleged misuse of social media by Connolly. According to Everett, Connolly engaged in several discriminatory interactions using a public social media account. Connolly sent out an email that, according to Everett’s claims on the meeting agenda, “disparaged fellow board members.”
Several community members voiced their support for the censure during public comments. “Instead of apologizing for the email, you claimed it was sent by mistake. Th at doesn’t make it legal or right,” Nikki Jones, community member, said, addressing Connolly. “Trying to silence parents by bullying and intimidation is wrong”.
Others spoke against the proposition. “(Connolly’s) work on this board is focused and makes a diff erence for our students, parents and community,” Jamie Alberg, community member, said.
One piece of evidence presented by Everett came from a Betsy Connolly Twitter parody account with the handle @ dvmmum, which included a post that read, “When a person claims to act on instructions from God, I’m starting to look for a place to hide.”
In their statements, many community members compared the censure of Dunn to the attempted censure of Connolly. “Th e last time we were discussing a censure, Dunn was censured aft er he reached out to my employer and threatened retaliation to my employer if I continued to speak at public board meetings,” Jessica Weihe, community member recounted, noting the contrasting parameters of each censure. Panther voices- Gus Gress, Sophomore, addresses the board during the public comments section on the October second board meeting. “I feel like I’ve seen so many complaints (about Ms. Connolly’s bullying on social media), when we have the president of the United States,” Gress said. “I scrolled through her twitter feed for 10 minutes and I couldn’t find one example of what you were referring to. I scrolled through his for 10 seconds and I could.” Several students were present at the meeting, which adjourned well past 11:00 pm. Maya Chari/Prowler
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