College Board Test Prep Exam ReadiStep Coming Next Fall

It may never be too early to prepare for the rest of your life. In an effort to aide in early educational development, the College Board recently announced the addition of a new test called ReadiStep which will be available next fall for eighth grade students, in preparation for the challenges of strenuous high school and college level courses. The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.

ReadiStep is a low stakes middle school assessment that helps teachers provide the guidance middle school students need to start preparing for high school and college. Developed by College Board professionals in partnership with middle school teachers and other education experts, ReadiStep provides early feedback on students’ skills. It identifies areas students need to develop as well as students who are ready for more advanced coursework.

ReadiStep is a vital step within College Board’s College Readiness System and helps schools and teachers measure achievement, monitor progress, and gain information that enables informed decisions in the classroom.

It’s important to stress that per a recent news conference College Board Vice President Lee Jones emphasizes, “This is not at all a pre-pre-pre SAT. It’s a diagnostic tool to provide information about students’ strengths and weaknesses.” ReadiStep is intended only for assessment and instructional purposes and has nothing to do with college admissions, College Board officials said.

Among the many benefits of assessment for younger students interested in preparing for a successful transition into high school, and eventually college, we have listed those chosen directly by the College Board. ReadiStep delivers:

User-Friendly Format
Paper and pencil test formatted in three multiple choice sections - reading, writing, mathematics
Early Feedback
Allowing teachers to gain insight on students’ academic progress
Flexible and Easy Administration
Can be given all at once or over the course of three class periods
Comprehensive, Timely Results
National and local comparisons relative to other eighth graders - guaranteed within four weeks.
Alignment with State Standards
Aligns with College Board Standards for College Success, a national model of rigorous academic content standards.

The College Boards ReadiStep Benefits for Students & Parents

ReadiStep’s comprehensive evaluation answers the question - How can I help my child prepare for the future? Through ReadiStep, you and your child will learn which skills they need to work on and what types of classes they need to take. In addition, ReadiStep will identify areas where they excel and may want to consider taking higher-level, advanced placement, or International Baccalaureate (IB) level courses. The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 661,000 IB students at 2,410 schools in 131 countries.

You may contact a Regional Representative on the College Board or ReadiStep web site, and we encourage students & parents of eighth grade students to contact your school to find out more about ReadiStep testing. Representatives have informed us that the cost for testing will be less than ten dollars per student, and will be funded by local schools/districts. ReadiStep is not mandatory, and will be used as a learning tool simply for an assessment basis. The testing structure will consist of three multiple-choice sections covering mathematics, critical reading, and writing skills. The exam will also be targeted for student completion within a two hour or less time frame, avoiding rigorous testing time for the young eighth grade students.