PSAT testing day on Oct. 14 will have a different feel this year. Sophomores and juniors, whether they are face-to-face students or virtual learners, will be on campus, while all freshmen and seniors will spend the day at home learning asynchronously.

“Planning is being done currently to ensure that students can follow social distancing guidelines and be as safe as possible during PSAT testing,” principal Ashley Rainwater said via email. “Students that are not participating in PSAT testing will work from home asynchronously that day. Students, whether they are currently receiving instruction virtually or face-to-face will be allowed to leave school when testing is done.”

Adjustments to this year’s PSAT present challenges and benefits.

“With virtual students not normally coming on campus this year, one challenge will be helping them navigate the drop off and location of testing rooms,” Frisco ISD Managing Director of Academic Programs Dr. Angela Romney said via email. “One benefit that we have this year is that each campus has a College, Career, & Military Readiness Facilitator who is organizing and coordinating the PSAT, which helps tremendously as we work to implement the new safety protocols.”

Coronavirus restrictions have been taken into consideration in regards to the testing environment according to the school’s College, Career, & Military Readiness Facilitator, Leslie Thompson.

“All district COVID guidelines are being followed, for example, desk spacing, masks, and room capacity,” Thompson said via email. “There will be no mass testing as there were in previous years.”

In addition to eliminating mass testing, other measures are being taken to meet district COVID-19 guidelines.

“The format of the test is the same,” Dr. Romney said via email. “The only difference would be that we are following safety protocols with spacing students apart and requiring students to wear face coverings.”

While sophomores and juniors are testing, freshmen and seniors do not have to come to school and will be expected to take part in asynchronous learning.

“They will log in to Canvas and complete their assignments for each period by 4:00 p.m.,” Dr. Romney said via email. “There will not be any ‘live’ Zoom sessions. They will work independently. Once the test is done, 10th and 11th grade students can go home and finish the 3rd and 4th period asynchronously at home.”

Caitlin Eder, a senior who is participating in face-to-face learning, feels that a virtual day of learning isn’t a bad thing.

“I’m fine with having an asynchronous day to catch up on what I need to,” Eder said via email. “I’m glad to take a break and get a free morning.”