PSAT testing day activities can help schools keep students engaged and learning while other grade levels complete their assessments. For school leaders, planning meaningful activities for non-testing students is an important part of managing testing schedules.
The leadership team at Sweetwater Union School District faced this exact challenge when asking:
“What do we do with our 9th and 12th graders while our 10th and 11th graders are taking the PSAT test?”
The district needed structured activities that could be managed by different staff members as student schedules shifted throughout the day.
With more than four years of partnership with Thrively, Sweetwater Union School District worked with the platform to co-design a solution that could be used across multiple high schools.
How Sweetwater Union School District Planned PSAT Testing Day Activities
On PSAT testing day, 9th and 12th grade students participated in structured activities through Thrively while 10th and 11th grade students completed their assessments.
The activities encouraged students to reflect on three important questions:
- Who am I?
- Where am I going?
- How do I get there?
These questions helped organize the day’s activities around self-awareness, personal strengths, and future goals.
Strengths-Based Activities for 9th Grade Students
Ninth-grade students completed the Thrively Strengths Assessment and reflected on their top three strengths.
The activity encouraged students to explore what makes them unique and develop a better understanding of their individual abilities.
By reflecting on their strengths, students had an opportunity to build self-awareness and consider how their personal qualities could support their learning and development.
Career Exploration Activities for 12th Grade Students
While ninth graders focused on discovering their strengths, 12th-grade students explored their interests and potential career pathways.
Using the Thrively Interest Profiler (RIASEC), students learned more about how their interests connect to different career possibilities.
This activity provided an opportunity for graduating students to reflect on their future goals and consider pathways aligned with their interests.
Encouraging Student Reflection Beyond Testing
At the end of the activities, students completed a journal reflection based on the prompt:
“What I wish my teacher knew…”
This reflection encouraged students to share something about themselves that their teachers might not already know.
For educators, these reflections can provide valuable insights into students’ experiences, interests, and individual needs.
Making Testing Days Meaningful With Thrively
Testing days don’t have to mean lost learning opportunities for students who aren’t taking an assessment.
Sweetwater Union School District demonstrated how structured activities can turn a scheduling challenge into an opportunity for self-discovery, career exploration, and student reflection.
Whether students are discovering their strengths, exploring career pathways, or sharing their thoughts through journals, Thrively helps educators create meaningful learning experiences.
How would your students answer the question, “What I wish my teacher knew?”