On Sept. 9, The College Board announced the names of the 2016 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, none of whom were Redwood students.
The National Merit Scholar Corporation (NMSC) selected 16,000 semifinalists nationwide, giving them the opportunity to advance to the finalist round. The selection is determined solely by current seniors’ 2014 Preliminary SAT (PSAT) scores, according to the NMSC website.
Each year approximately 1.5 million juniors take the PSAT, and less than 1 percent are named Semifinalists, according to the College Board.
College and Career Specialist Paula Vantrease said that Redwood’s results do not reflect negatively on the school or impact its reputation in academic achievement.
Vantrease said that these results were unanticipated for both Redwood and the district as a whole.
“It’s very surprising, but it is not just Redwood. There was only one semifinalist from the Tam district,” Vantrease said.
Ryan Leary, a senior from Tam, is the only student from the Tamalpais Union High School District who has qualified to move on to the semifinalist round.
Last year, five Redwood students of the class of 2015 were selected as semifinalists.
In the past two years there has been an 89 percent decrease in the number of TUHSD students awarded semifinalist titles. In the class of 2014, nine TUHSD students were titled semifinalists, and then seven in the class of 2015.
The semifinalist pool consists of the highest scorers within each state. Semifinalists have the opportunity to advance to the finalist round, where 7,400 National Merit Scholarships worth $32 million will be awarded, according to the NMSC.
This year, California had a higher semifinalist cut-off score than in previous years, at 223 out of a limited 240-point scale. The cut-off score is different for each state and is the score needed to be in the top percentile
Finalists will be named in February of 2016 and scholarships will be awarded beginning in April.
Though no Redwood students were semifinalists, NMSC announced commended students in late September. Approximately 3 to 4 percent of students typically receive the commended student award. This year the commended student title cut off score was 202.
According to Vice Principal and PSAT Coordinator, LaSandra White, 197 juniors (48 percent) and 212 sophomores (49 percent) participated in the Redwood PSAT, a similar number to previous years.
This year Redwood will host the PSAT exam on Oct. 14, a Wednesday, because the College Board will not offer the test on Saturdays, as in years past. All juniors are enrolled and will take the test for free. Weekday testing is an effort to increase equity and opportunity among students, according to The College Board. In 2016, however, The College Board will once again offer the PSAT date on a Saturday.
