Saint Paul, Minn.- Adding to last year's successful endeavor to help plan and prepareSaint Paul Public Schools students for the next step in theireducations, SPPS will offer not only the PLAN, PSAT and ACT exams at nocost to every student, but also the SAT.

Saint Paul PublicSchools wants all students to graduate from high school and be ready tomake the next move in their educations. Nearly every career todayrequires some kind of education after high school. A 2005 U.S. CensusBureau report showed that students with a four-year college degree havenearly double the salary of students with only a high school diploma.Another census report calculated lifetime earnings with a four-yearcollege degree is $1.1 million more than having only a high schooldiploma. This reinforces that education remains the best way for allyoung people to get ahead in life.

The PSAT will be given onWednesday, Oct. 15. There is no registration needed for this test.Students just need to show up for school. From Oct. 15 to Nov. 6, all10th graders will take the PLAN. SPPS is also providing one free ACTand SAT, the major college admissions tests, for each SPPS 11th and12th grader. The specific dates for these tests are to be scheduled bythe schools.

What are these tests?
·    PLAN, 10th grade -Sometimes called the "pre-ACT," it tests English, math, reading andscience. Moreover, it contains a career and interest inventory, a greattool that helps students see if their academics are on track with theircareer goals.
·    PSAT, 11th grade -The Preliminary SAT measures critical reading skills, mathproblem-solving skills and writing; and it also is the National MeritScholarship Qualifying Test. This test can help students see any gapsin their academics and learn more about the expectations for collegeprior to their last year of high school.
·    ACT and SAT -These are the two major college entrance exams. Some two-year collegesrequire an ACT or SAT score to enroll, along with most four-yearcolleges and universities.