A Free Opportunity for Grade 8 Students to Learn More About Their Strengths and Prepare for High School
Posted On September 3, 2026
Following many years of interest and requests from families and advocates, MCPS will offer all 8th grade students the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 during the school day at no cost to families. MCPS will take care of registering students for the assessment.
The PSAT 8/9 provides students, families and schools with helpful information about each student’s academic progress, including areas of strength and skills that may need additional development. Results can help students understand their progress toward college and career readiness and identify areas to focus on as they prepare for high school.
Most importantly, the results give students, families and schools more information to help make decisions about what comes next in specialized pathways or in engaging local high school course selections. While the results will be considered as one of the criteria for admission to criteria-based high school programs for which Grade 8 students may apply (with the exception of arts programs), this is only one of many admissions factors for criteria-based programs.
Schools will provide families with additional information about the testing schedule and what students should expect as the testing date approaches. In some cases, parent permission is required for students to receive testing accommodations. Requests for accommodations will continue to be accepted; information about student testing accommodations can be found here.
More information can be found on the College Board website and in this document.
