1st Place, Informative Feature
2023-24, Division 4, News Writing
By Zev Frankel
The Crane-Clarion
Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School
The era of #2 Ticonderoga pencils, rustling papers, and frantic scribbling on bubble sheets has come to an end. On Oct. 11, freshmen to juniors will take the PSAT/NMSQT on their personal computers, making them the first to do so in school history. The updated test will better prepare students for upcoming changes in standardized testing, said Anne Levy, an Associate Dean of College Counseling.
“The PSAT is an exact dress rehearsal — the style of questions on the Digital PSAT is exactly the same as it will be on the SAT,” she said. “Now that you have the technology, you’re also gaining invaluable practice before you take the SAT.”
Unlike its paper-and-pencil counterpart, the DigitalPSAT will use a downloadable testing application, Bluebook. The two sections (Reading and Writing, and Math) are divided into a pair of equal-length, separately timed parts called modules, and questions are generated randomly based on a student’s performance.
Additionally, the test is 31 minutes shorter, the reading and writing passages have been replaced by shorter paragraphs tied to single questions, and the entire math section permits the use of calculators.
Varying Student Opinions
Despite these modifications, some students — especially juniors vying for the National Merit Scholarship — find the changes inconvenient.
“It’s frustrating for the PSAT format had to be changed to digital for the first time, since most students are used to the traditional paper format for the test,” junior Hania Ibrahim said. “So it might be difficult to adjust to the different types of questions that we haven’t seen before.”
Moreover, many students have expressed concern over potential tech malfunctions, particularly after a glitch led to the rescheduling of last year’s AP Chinese Language and Culture exam.
While Konnie Beyma, the school’s Standardized Testing Coordinator, acknowledges the potential risks, she believes the test will become a viable alternative moving forward.
“Cranbrook IT and I have made sure our Wi-Fi capabilities are sufficient to support the number of students who will be online during this exam,” Beyma said. “In addition, I think that the randomly generated questions are a deterrent to cheating: do you really want to take the chance to copy an answer on a question you may not have?”
Conversely, junior Sanjay Lokam believes that the computerized format may bring a new host of problems in spite of security measures.
“While the algorithm’s random generation of questions may deter some forms of cheating, it’s also possible that students might find new ways to collaborate or use external resources,” Lokam said. “The level to which anti-cheating measures will prevent cheating is unclear and will largely depend on the strictness of each proctor and the honesty of the student.”
In preparation for the upcoming exam, junior Ryan Li took a practice Digital PSAT test offered through the Compass Education Group on Sept. 30.
“I thought the test experience was easy overall,” Li said. “I didn’t like waiting for the time to run out after finishing each section, but the test familiarized me with the different modules and question formats.”
NW-12. Informative Feature
The entry should be a single story, which should inform or instruct. Judges will not consider sidebars, infographics or other elements packaged with the story. Facts are obtained from research, interviews and observations.
Judging Criteria
- Leads capture attention, arouses curiosity
- Topic relevant to interests and/or welfare of school or students
- Thorough investigation through research and interviews
- Combines basics of good news and feature writing
- Organized with smooth transitions
- Sentences, paragraphs of varied length; written clearly, concisely and vividly
- Uses proper diction and grammar
- Balanced and fair presentation
- Story relies on information from primary sources gathered/interviewed directly by the journalist(s); general Internet sources and secondary media reports are used sparingly