The Counseling Office introduces students to the college admissions process in grade 9 and continues through grade 12. Intensely focusing on all aspects of college admissions in grade 11 and 12 Life Skills classes (for the English Track and Going Abroad Program), our counselors advise students on how to prepare for college applications through the following:

• Attending college fairs, on-campus college visits and SMIC alumni presentations;
• Encouraging good grades, sustained and meaningful participation in extracurricular activities, and the fostering of leadership skills;
• Preparing and registering for standardized testing;
• Guiding students throughout the college search and selection process by reviewing college lists, college applications, personals statements and essays;
• Coordinating teacher college recommendation letters;
• Providing official college recommendation letters from the counseling office;
• Ensuring application logistics (package, courier, and tracking);
• Safeguarding the accuracy, integrity and authenticity of official transcripts and other related application documents;
• Advising students in terms of making their college application decisions (taking into account what constitutes the right fit for students academically, socially, culturally, and financially); and
• Communicating with college admissions offices throughout the year.

In addition, the Counseling Office delivers two “College Night” presentations per school year; one in the fall (for all students and parents) as well as one in the spring (primarily targeting grade 11 students and parents in preparation for their senior year college applications). Graphically-enhanced maps, statistics, and diagrams illustrating college acceptances are prepared and prominently displayed on campus and shared with the school community.

SMIC administers Advanced Placement (AP) tests for 14-18 subjects in May of each school year. Please refer to our calendar for current testing dates.

Please visit our AP Program page for more detail on our AP courses and tests.

SMIC which is an official SAT testing center, administers the SAT test up to six times a year. Please refer to our school calendar for current testing dates.

SMIC which is an official ACT testing center, administers the ACT test up to five times a year. Please refer to our school calendar for current testing dates.

Why do students take the PSAT/NMSQT? The PSAT/NMQT scores can be used to estimate SAT scores. The critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills questions of the PSAT/NMQT are designed to be the same as those on the SAT Reasoning Test. The PSAT/NMSQT questions are intended to be reliable preparation for the same types of questions on the SAT. The PSAT/NMSQT scale of 20 to 80 is equivalent to the SAT scale of 200 to 800.

Can colleges access your PSAT/NMSQT scores? No, PSAT/NMSQT scores are not for use by colleges as part of their admission criteria. The PSAT/NMSQT is intended to help a student evaluate skill levels in three critical academic areas (reading, writing, math), prepare for the SAT, compare a student's academic readiness for college with that of his/her peers, and enter scholarship competitions. PSAT score reports should help students make future educational plans.

All the grade 9, 10, and 11 students are required to take the PSAT.

The Writing Assessment Program (WrAp) stands apart from nearly every other available writing assessment. Unlike other instruments that provide only holistic scoring school indices, the WrAP is scored analytically. The WrAP uses a six trait, six-point rubric to provide information that helps determine a student's writing skill level and helps teachers target writing instruction. The WrAP is administered to students in grades 5, 7 and 9.

Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) is an assessment taken by Kindergarten through grade 8 students at SMIC. Students take assessments in language usage, reading, math, and science (Gr.3-8 only). MAP, which is a computerized assessment is given to all students in applicable grade levels in the fall and spring. When taking the MAP test, the difficulty of each question is based on how well a student answers all the previous questions. Questions become more challenging as the student answers correctly. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions become easier. In an optimal test, a student answers approximately half the items correctly and half incorrectly. The final score is an estimate of the student’s overall achievement level. Individualized student MAP reports sent to families show growth from year to year as long as the student is enrolled in SMIC.