Paramount, CA – Nearly 1,300 Paramount Unified School District juniors from Paramount and Buena Vista high schools will take the SATs at no cost on April 5 as the District strengthens its culture of college preparedness.

The $43 registration fee will be waived for the juniors giving them free access to the test, and is made possible by the District’s partnership with the College Board. Paramount Unified spent $75,000 to provide free PSATs to more than 5,000 students to ensure the District was prepared for the spring test. SAT prep courses were also offered in February.

“We know that as students take the test more often, and become more familiar with it, they improve their performance,” Assistant Superintendent Ryan D. Smith said. “Our partnership with College Board has allowed us to prepare our students in a way that positions them to thrive.”

As a part of the District’s initiative to ensure all students are college ready, PUSD students who took the PSAT in October have been provided data that targets the best area of focus based on their practice scores. Students have had the opportunity to review their performance with counselors prior to taking the SAT.

When the District’s juniors take the SAT on April 5 they will also have the benefit of doing so on their own campus and during the school day. Saving students and their families the time of registration and transportation to a test-taking site is one more way PUSD is attempting to remove barriers that would keep students from achieving optimum performance.
Nearly all students who took the PSAT indicated they plan to go to college, and by registering for the October test were placed on a list to receive college information. As a part of the free PSAT/SAT program, the College Board provides Paramount with data that assesses the college readiness of its students and expands access to scholarships and tools for success.

“We’re excited to be able to offer our students these critical tests at no cost, and feel it’s a valuable investment in their futures,” Superintendent Dr. Ruth Pérez said. “We’ll continue to explore ways to position our children to be their absolute best as they pursue college and careers.”
PHOTO CAPTIONS:

040317_PARAMOUNT_SATS1: Paramount Unified School District will provide free SATs to juniors on April 5, waiving the registration fee to give students free access to the test.

040317_PARAMOUNT_SATS2: Paramount students who took the PSATs in October were given data to assess their college readiness and help them gain access to scholarships.