SAT improvement seen for high school students

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2002 | 11:09 a.m.

Educators in Clark County said this morning they were cheered by the news that scores on the SAT college placement exam were up statewide, and that they expected similar gains to continue to be posted by students locally.

"We like hearing good news," said Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the Clark County School District. "It sounds like our renewed emphasis on mathematics is paying off."

The state saw a three-point increase in math scores over the last year and a nine-point improvement from five years ago. That beat a national improvement of five points.

On the verbal portion of the test, the state stayed the same from last year and improved a point from five years ago. Nationally, the mean dropped a point in the verbal portion of the test.

The College Board this morning released the mean scores from the graduating class of 2002's performance on the SAT, a national assessment test used for college admissions.

Nationally, 46 percent of graduates took the test. The mean score was 504 verbal and 516 math.

"This year's scores confirm that the efforts that have been made to improve math education in the United States are paying off," College Board President Gaston Caperton said in a statement. "It is time to put that same kind of concerted energy behind ensuring that students reach their potential as skilled readers and writers."

The College Board announced the formation of a commission to find ways to improve the quality of student writing.

The state mean SAT score was 509 verbal and 518 in math for 2002.

According to the College Board, an estimated 34 percent of the graduating class took the SAT.

SAT scores for individual school districts were not immediately available.

Clark County School Superintendent Carlos Garcia has set a goal of having every student in the district enrolled in algebra by eighth grade. District officials have also applied for a federal grant to start a girls-only mathematics program to raise the number of young women who choose math and science-based careers.

To gain a single point on the verbal portion of the exam is still an improvement, Orci said.

"We're heading in the right direction," he said.

Last year the mean verbal SAT score for Clark County students was 504, compared with 509 at the state level, according to College Board and district documents. Clark County had a mean math score of 514, while the state score was 515. The state's math score went up three points to 518 for 2002. Figures for this year for Clark County were not available.

As SAT scores are going up, the district's dropout rate has been going down.

"The more you can keep kids in school and encourage them to be attentive to learning, the more they're going to succeed in every area," said School Board member Susan Brager. "We've all been working toward the goal of better preparing our kids, and I think it's clear this district is making great strides."