On Tuesday, April 10th, all juniors at McClatchy will be taking a free SAT paid for by the District. The SAT, which will include the essay, will take place at McClatchy, likely from 8:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
For many years, the District has provided a free PSAT to the sophomore class, but this is the first year they will also be providing a free SAT for the junior class.
“The idea behind the SAT is to provide all juniors an opportunity to test and have scores to submit to colleges when applying in the fall,” said McClatchy counselor Ms. Taormina.
As far as how the SAT will actually run on April 10th, Taormina said that “we as a counseling group have not been given a lot of information.” However, she did add that it would likely run similarly to the PSAT for sophomores.
“Ideally there will be no interruptions from announcements,” added Taormina. “The school should provide the best testing environment possible for student success.”
Since the SAT normally costs over $50 and takes place on a Saturday, providing a free, on-campus test during the school day makes it accessible to every student.
“The District as a whole would like to increase our college-going culture and give access to all students for a free test so that ability to test on a Saturday or pay for the exam is not a barrier to applying to college as a senior,” said Ms. Taormina.
Taormina also wanted to remind students that aside from the free SAT provided by the District, she always has SAT and ACT fee waivers available in her office.
Since there has been little information publicized to students about the free SAT, many students have already signed up and paid for an SAT. Cecilia Smith, a junior, signed up for an SAT months ago, but when she heard that the district was offering a free one, she cancelled her original test.
“I think that it’s really cool, but I think that all schools should have a free SAT. Maybe not a free retake, because I know like they need to make money and whatever, but I think it should be free, at least for the first time,” said Smith.
As far as future years go, Ms. Taormina said that she “would like to see both SAT and ACT offered in future years.”