Order your free copy now and learn all you need to know about living the good life in the nation's fourth largest city!
| Feb 2nd, 2011 |
HISD Becomes Third U.S. School District Offering Free SAT Testing for all Juniors
For Immediate Release:
Students can take the college entrance exam during class time in April
February 2, 2011 – All high school 11th graders in the Houston Independent School District will be given the opportunity to take the SAT college entrance exam free of charge at their home campuses this spring.
Only two other school districts in the nation have gone this far to ensure all students are ready to apply for college acceptance once they graduate. Typically, students have to register for the exam on their own and then take the SAT on a weekend at a specific testing site. The standard fee is $47.
“Giving students a chance to take the SAT at their own high school during regular school hours encourages more students to apply for college,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “This eliminates obstacles that sometimes keep students from ever taking the SAT.”
The free in-class testing, scheduled for April 13, is expected to double the number of graduates who have taken the SAT. Nearly 5,000 of HISD’s graduates in the class of 2010 took the SAT, which is less than half of all graduates.
The testing initiative is partially funded by the Texas Education Agency’s Texas College Preparation Program (TCPP), which provides juniors with a College Readiness Assessment Voucher. HISD students may use this voucher for the SAT at their home school on Wednesday April 13, 2011, or their choice of either the SAT or ACT exam on the other preapproved dates at specific testing sites. Those dates and locations are as follows:
ACT SAT
April 9 (registration deadline March 4) May 7 (registration deadline April 8)
June 11 (registration deadline May 6) June 4 (registration deadline May 6)
In addition to the free testing, HISD juniors will have access to the College Board’s Official SAT Online Course.
The SAT is just the latest exam to be offered to HISD students at no cost. Last spring, the school district paid for all students enrolled in college-level Advanced Placement courses to take AP exams that can earn them college credit. As a result, the number of AP exams taken increased 46 percent from 2009 and 38 percent of exams taken by all AP students earned a qualifying score.
February 2, 2011 – All high school 11th graders in the Houston Independent School District will be given the opportunity to take the SAT college entrance exam free of charge at their home campuses this spring.
Only two other school districts in the nation have gone this far to ensure all students are ready to apply for college acceptance once they graduate. Typically, students have to register for the exam on their own and then take the SAT on a weekend at a specific testing site. The standard fee is $47.
“Giving students a chance to take the SAT at their own high school during regular school hours encourages more students to apply for college,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “This eliminates obstacles that sometimes keep students from ever taking the SAT.”
The free in-class testing, scheduled for April 13, is expected to double the number of graduates who have taken the SAT. Nearly 5,000 of HISD’s graduates in the class of 2010 took the SAT, which is less than half of all graduates.
The testing initiative is partially funded by the Texas Education Agency’s Texas College Preparation Program (TCPP), which provides juniors with a College Readiness Assessment Voucher. HISD students may use this voucher for the SAT at their home school on Wednesday April 13, 2011, or their choice of either the SAT or ACT exam on the other preapproved dates at specific testing sites. Those dates and locations are as follows:
ACT SAT
April 9 (registration deadline March 4) May 7 (registration deadline April 8)
June 11 (registration deadline May 6) June 4 (registration deadline May 6)
In addition to the free testing, HISD juniors will have access to the College Board’s Official SAT Online Course.
The SAT is just the latest exam to be offered to HISD students at no cost. Last spring, the school district paid for all students enrolled in college-level Advanced Placement courses to take AP exams that can earn them college credit. As a result, the number of AP exams taken increased 46 percent from 2009 and 38 percent of exams taken by all AP students earned a qualifying score.
About the Company:
The Houston Independent School District is the largest school district in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States with 298 schools and more than 200,000 students. The 301-square-mile district is one of the largest employers in the Houston metropolitan area with nearly 30,000 employees.
Houston Independent School District
(713) 556-7383
(713) 556-7383