Colorado School-Day SAT: Student Guide (Part 1)

Colorado School-day SAT

On Wednesday, April 12th, 2023, public schools in Colorado provided a school-day SAT. The school-day SAT provides students an opportunity to take the SAT during the week at their schools, and it also provides schools with useful statistics. The dates for school-day SATs vary by state, and not all states offer a school-day SAT. In this post, we’ll answer your biggest questions regarding the school-day SAT, the information it provides, and how it can be used. This post is part 1 in a 2 part series covering the school-day SAT. This post will focus on how the test applies to students, while part 2 will focus more on the history of the school-day SAT, which you can read here.

Who Takes the School-Day SAT?

All public-school juniors in Colorado will take the school-day SAT on April 12th, 2023. It is the third test in the SAT Suite of Assessments, which includes the PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10, and the SAT. Each year, freshmen take the PSAT 8/9 and sophomores take the PSAT 10. This year, the 9th and 10th grade PSATs will be administered on April 12th, 13th, or 14th, depending on the school district. 

Can Students Opt Out of the School-day SAT?

Students can opt out of the school-day SAT with permission from a parent or guardian, though policies vary by school. Policies vary because the law allows each school to determine how it will manage its participation rate in the standardized assessment. The federal Every Student Success Act requires schools to test 95% of their students and 95% of each subgroup of students. Though state law does not require a 95% participation rate, both state and federal law dictate that participation rate will be factored into each school’s ratings. You can find more information about these regulations here.

Even If You Can Opt Out, Should You?

So, if you have the option, should you opt out of the school-day SAT? Ultimately, there aren’t really any downsides to taking the school-day SAT. Since Colorado schools can no longer share test scores on transcripts (more on that below), your scores are yours alone to use. Less specific to you, taking the test will boost your school’s participation rate and provide helpful statistics. 

Is There an Essay on the School-day SAT?

The essay portion of the school-day is optional and cost-free for all Colorado students. Students would have had to register for it through their College Board accounts before the registration window closed in February, which you can view here. However, colleges don’t require the essay portion of the SAT anymore. Most students don’t opt to take it, but you can find more information about whether you should take the SAT essay portion here.

How Can I Use My School-day Test?

Students can use the school-day test just like any other SAT for college and scholarship applications. However, if you receive State Allowed Accommodations (SAAs), you cannot send the scores to colleges or scholarship organizations. If you received your accommodations through the College Board, you can use your test scores as usual. You can find a table of accommodations and how they may be used here.

What Happens to My Scores?

At the time of the test, students can send their scores to up to four colleges for free. However, we don’t recommend sending scores at the time of the test. Instead, we recommend waiting to see your score, then deciding if you’d like to retake it before sending it to your schools.

If you wish to wait to send your scores or send them to more than four schools, you can send them to additional colleges by order through your College Board account.

In the past, a student’s school-day SAT score was included on his or her transcript. However, in 2020, the Colorado General Assembly passed bill SB 20-175 to “prohibit the inclusion of a student’s state or national assessment score on final high school transcripts.” You can read frequently asked questions about that bill here. The SAT is included, as national assessment is defined as any test that measures postsecondary or workforce measurement. So, the SAT no longer appears on transcripts in Colorado.

Conclusion

Hopefully we answered all your questions regarding how to take the Colorado School-day SAT, and why a student should take it! You can read about the history of the School-day SAT here.