October was a busy month featuring a successful Homecoming Week! The students enjoyed many fun activities and were busy throughout the week. I hope they were able to enjoy time together and relax a little bit.
Now November is upon us, bringing with it a focus on thankfulness, time with family and friends, and some cooler weather. Personally, I am thankful for our Darlington parents and your unwavering support for our school community. Academics at Darlington are rigorous and it is difficult to watch your child face challenges without trying to jump in to help. I am thankful for the trust you put in the faculty and staff to help your child through challenges. Finding solutions to these challenges will help students gain wisdom down the road. As a parent, the balance of assisting to find the solution and stepping back to let our kids find the solution is a tough but important skill. If you discover the right combination, please share it with me!
PSAT/NMSQT scores for all freshmen, sophomores and juniors will be available soon from The College Board. Please watch this helpful video from for information on creating an account with The College Board (be sure to use the student’s Darlington email address when creating it).
The following information will be helpful to you in interpreting and understanding your child’s scores:
Scoring: Each section of the test – the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score and the Math Score – is based on a 160-760 scale and a total scale of 320-1520 when the two scores are added together. This link will help you understand the scoring.
Practice and Improvement: Each student score report from The College Board includes both the student’s answers and the correct answers for each item. Each student’s individual test booklet will be returned to the student on Friday during advisory meetings. Also included in the report is a link to FREE SAT Practice – based on the student’s own performance on the PSAT – online at khanacademy.org/SAT. This free resource is likely the very best way to prepare for future PSATs and SATs.
Darlington’s Scores: Freshmen and sophomores should not be overly concerned or alarmed about low scores, as they took the test for practice and identification of specific areas for improvement. Please remember that the test is geared for juniors; freshmen and sophomores are not expected to do as well on the test. Each year, the vast majority of our students raise their scores from the previous year.
Coming up soon, J. Tom Morgan, author and nationally recognized expert on the prosecution of crimes against children, will be with us on Nov. 7 after rescheduling last month due to hurricane damage in his home state. We look forward to his visit.
As Thanksgiving break nears with Christmas break close behind, we look to finish this first semester strong. Do I dare to even say “RUMPUS” yet?!
