Planning for After ICS

The College Partnerships Committee, in coordination with the school counselor, provides support for ICS students to prepare for their future beyond ICS.  They support college visits at ICS, sign up students for PSAT and offer a Power Reading Class and SAT Prep Classes. The Committee coordinates five events during the school year:

• College Planning
• Financing College
• Career Fair
• College Fair
• Seasoned Parent to Newbie Parent

When and how to ask for ACT and PSAT/SAT/AP accommodations

Information for parents with eighth grade and high school students

The Lake Washington PTSA Council Special Needs Group and the Special Services department have created a new document titled "Getting Ready for College for students with IEPs or 504 Plans." This document addresses when and how to ask for ACT and PSAT/SAT/AP accommodations. This information is current as of September 2015.

The "Getting Ready for College for students with IEPs or 504 Plans" document is a summary to assist you in assessing the differences in requesting accommodations for the ACT, the College Board's PSAT, SAT and AP (Advanced Placement) tests. In addition to working closely with your high school's Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Coordinator, we strongly recommend all families review each organization's detailed websites before you begin the formal application process. This document should serve as a short overview to help you get started.

Events

Event Planning Guidelines

PSAT

ICS sophomores and juniors take the PSAT on a designated October school day.

The PSAT/NMSQT assesses the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills students need for college and beyond. It provides detailed feedback on skills, access to scholarships and personalized online tools, and excellent practice for the SAT. Students who take the PSAT/NMSQT in 10th grade benefit from early feedback on their skills; they can look at their percentiles to see how well their scores compare to the scores of 10th grade test-takers.

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT again, in 11th grade, gives students a fresh skills assessment and a measure of their progress, as well as the chance to compete for scholarships, including the prestigious National Merit Scholarship. And research shows that students in U.S. schools who take the PSAT/NMSQT in 10th and 11th grades score, on average, 180-220 points higher on the SAT than students who do not.

The district is paying for all 10th grade fees; the 11th graders will need to pay $15. Please make checks out to ICS and bring to the main office by Friday, October 12.

For more information about the PSAT, please see the College Board website at https://www.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt

ACT/SAT

We will be offering ACT and SAT prep courses from PrepNorthwest for juniors and interested student this year. Full details can be found here.