In high school, the MCAP includes Maryland assessments for Social Studies, English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science based on the rigorous Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards
The High School Assessment (HSA) for Local, State and National (LSN) Government, is an end-of-course test that measures progress toward Maryland’s High School Core Learning Goals (CLGs) and is part of the graduation requirements. Therefore, high school students enrolled in Local, State and National Government must take this high school assessment at the completion of the course.
For the English Language Arts and Literacy assessment students read literary and informational passages from published texts (fiction and nonfiction) as well as engage in multi-media such as video or audio pieces. Students demonstrate their reading comprehension through written responses as well as demonstrating their knowledge of the conventions of English.
For mathematics, students solve multi-step problems that require reasoning and address real-world situations. This type of problem solving requires students to reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships, in order to solve real-world problems, and show their understanding.
Measures student achievement on the Maryland Content Standards in Science in Grade 5 (testing content from Grades 4 and 5), Grade 8 (testing content from Grades 6, 7 and 8) and Grade 11 (testing content in earth/space science, life science, and physical science). The Grade 11 assessment is one of the four tests required in Maryland for graduation.
Many U.S. colleges require that student submit standardized test scores as part of their admissions application packages. Standardized tests provide a consistent way for a college to evaluate a student and sometimes even help choose the right courses. The SAT and ACT are the most common college standardized tests. For information about these and other tests, talk to your high school counselor, or to the admissions offices at the colleges you are interested in attending.
Note: There are some colleges/universities that are what is considered Test Optional. These schools either look at other factors for admission decisions (such as GPA, interviews, recommendation) or do not emphasize a student's standardized test score in admission decisions.
See a list of these Test Optional institutions
Students who have already taken the PSAT can access free personalized SAT study resources provided by Khan Academy. Khan Academy has partnered with the College Board to offer a study plan that is designed specifically for each student based on his/her PSAT scores. With student/parent permission, Khan Academy will use students' score results to create a study plan specifically designed for them. For additional information visit the SAT Prep website.
Find out what kinds of questions will be asked and which skills and knowledge areas will be tested. Go to Test Design at Inside the test
The following resources became available to students once they took the PSAT:
Visit the College Board website to register for the SAT.
Class of 2022 learn more about the scholarship opportunity and apply: College Board Opportunity Scholarships
Sign up for personalized practice through Khan Academy.
PSAT 8/9 is a way to encourage your child to start thinking about life after high school. We have attached some helpful resources related to the SAT Suite of Assessments.
The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in English, Math, Reading, and Science. ACT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, including a short break (or just over four hours if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing). Actual testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes (plus 30 minutes if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing).
Please refer to Dual Enrollment for more information.
