On April 18, South had a testing day where juniors had the opportunity to take the SAT and sophomores the Pre-ACT free of charge during school hours.

This past fall, the SAT was offered for seniors and the PSAT for juniors, both for free, as well. 

In the past, the SAT and Pre-ACT were offered in October. But, due to a change in ownership of the ACT testing corporation last fall, there was a brief hiatus of Pre-ACT testing opportunities. This year all sophomores took the Pre-ACT, which is now back and was held in spring on the same day as the SAT.

“The 4J district was pleased to be able to offer the PSAT last fall as a stepping-stone opportunity for college preparedness to juniors, and to welcome back the Pre-ACT testing opportunity to sophomores on this April testing date as a vehicle for career exploration,” testing day coordinator Jessica Kuehn said. 

Recently, College Board created the opportunity for SAT School Day, a program that offers free test-taking opportunities during school hours. 4J was happy to provide these options to students. 

“This decision was made very consciously to promote equity for all students within the district,” Kuehn said. “Cost is not a prohibitive factor now in students’ decision to take the exam.”

With the free SAT, all juniors and seniors had equal opportunity to take the test and that chance opened up every student’s options for their futures.

“Ultimately, the goal has been to offer as many opportunities as possible for students to access assessments in support of their future goals and aspirations,” Kuehn said.

South was fortunate to have on-site SATs this year; in the past, SATs were only offered on Saturdays, and with no testing site in Eugene students would have to travel to further locations like Corvallis or Roseburg to take the test. This year’s SATs during Spring Testing Day were equitable and convenient for all rising juniors and seniors.

Article by Maya Robershaw