While there has been a great number of changes to the structure of the school day and different punishments, one change that might be bigger is that the PSAT is now free for all sophomores.
This is a big deal for all students. School administrator Mr. Owen Sanford explained that his change was made to shorten the opportunity gap between all students. The opportunity gap is different between groups of students whether it is the families income, race or even how the parents push their kids.
With the PSAT being free, all students have the same resources so that they can see themselves taking the rigorous advanced placement or AP classes. Along with this, kids are able to make themselves more prepared for the SAT which a lot of colleges and universities prefer their applicants to take.
Camas’ admin team had seen schools in the area like Washougal and different schools from Vancouver and decided to follow their lead. The hope these schools had was that their students would become aware that they should be taking AP classes instead of the less challenging classes that they are enrolled in.
This change is in favor of the students too. Junior Sydney Addis wishes that the test would’ve been free last year because she “didn’t take it because I didn’t want to pay money to take a test.” If the test had always been this way, students would have been more inclined to participate in it.
Along with this, students weren’t completely aware that the PSAT was not just some unimportant state test but instead, can help them to enroll in advanced placement classes that they would excel in.
Sophomore Luke McCabe stated that he “was not aware of the reason behind the PSAT other than some extra practice for the SAT.” Showing that not all students were completely aware of the other influences the test can have.
Essentially, the new change in Camas will help to overcome the opportunity gap between students by helping all to enroll in advanced placement classes that in turn could help them to achieve a college education. Also, it was a change to ensure students are all prepared for the SAT. But the new adjustment will help Camas to achieve a greater education than before.
