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SAT scores: How did MHS do in 2009?

Scores hold steady but far fewer took the test

By Britt Combs | The McDowell News

Published: August 26, 2009

The SAT has been a rite of passage for decades. The standardized test provides college-bound (or college hopeful) high school students a chance to demonstrate just how keenly the stone of education has whetted them.

Statistics for SAT performance have been reported this week throughout the state of North Carolina, including McDowell County Public Schools.

Last school year, 112 MHS seniors took the test. That's 30.2 percent of the senior class of 2009. The performance varied little from the two previous classes, but there has been a sharp decline in participation. In 2007, 45.4 percent of MHS seniors took the test, and 40.4 percent of the class of 2008 took the test.

Statewide, participation is much higher, with 63 percent taking the test.

A newer, essay-writing portion of the test saw gains for McDowell, a nine-point increase over the last two years, with a score of 479. That's within a point of the state average – 480 – which has declined from 482 the two previous years.

McDowell's gain in writing also bucks the declining national average, although, at 493 points (down from 494 in 2008 and 2007) the national average is still well above McDowell.

The picture is grimmer, however, in math and critical reading.

In math, the class of 2009 scored an average of 496, compared to the state average of 511 and the national average of 515. That's down from the McDowell average math score of 506 in 2008 and 500 in 2007.

The national average has been flat in math for those three years, and the state average has gone up two points, from 509 in 2007.

The critical reading (CR) section of the test assesses factors such as vocabulary and comprehension skills. In CR, McDowell High School students scored 485 on average in 2009, compared to 495 for the state and 501 nationally. That math score is down from last year's 492, but up from the 2007 MHS average of 483.

The state average has remained stable for the last three years, while the national average is down one point from 502 points.

The average combined score for all three portions was 1460. That's down from 2008's score of 1468 but up from 2007's average of 1453.

State and national combined average scores are also down for 2009 by three- and two-point margins.

While McDowell students were sharply less likely to take the test in 2009, the state trend has been up. A press release from the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) pointed out that, among the 22 states in which more than 50 percent of students take the SAT, North Carolina has the second largest 10-year gain (18 points) in mathematics, behind South Carolina (21 points).

Assistant Superintendent Becky Pearson said the sharp drop in students taking the test is largely due to more students taking the community college route. McDowell Tech does not require SAT for admissions. Students completing a two-year program at McDowell Tech can gain admission to many North Carolina colleges directly.

She said the economic impact of the test fee should not be overlooked, and more families are finding they can't comfortably pay the fee.

"While SAT participation is down," she said, "we've increased the participation in Huskins and dual-enrollment, advanced placement classes and Early College."

The DPI statement also stressed that the state numbers are consistently up in the past two decades. The gap between North Carolina's critical reading and math scores total and the nation's score total is 10 points. North Carolina has been closing that gap for a number of years, posting an average yearly gain on the SAT of approximately three points since 1989, compared with about one-half of a point for the nation. Since 1990, North Carolina has narrowed the gap from 53 points to 10 points, the release stated.

The range for the tests is 200 to 800 points, for a combined range of 600 to 2400.

What does it all mean? The test does not carry the weight it once did. It is regularly changed, challenged by academic groups one day and social justice activists the next.

The test has faced criticism for racial bias and for grading essays based solely on length rather than content. The College Board, which administers the test, settled a lawsuit in which 4,400 plaintiffs alleged they had received erroneous scores. Other critics have said the test is biased towards wealthy students, who can afford to take the test again and again until they get the score they want.

The SAT (it used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test but it now means Scholastic Assessment Test) has been the gateway to college admissions since the 1920s. Today it is less so, with many liberal arts colleges no longer requiring the test for admissions, nearby Wake Forest University among them.

In the state and throughout America, males scored higher on average than females. Racial disparities were indicated, with Asian Americans consistently averaging the highest scores and African-Americans having the lowest average scores in 2009.

The academic achievement of the students' parents was a consistent indicator of SAT performance. Children of those parents with no high school diploma in the state scored an average 870 in combined math and CR results. Children of parents with post-graduate degrees averaged 1120 in math and CR.

Income was nearly as consistent an indicator, with an average score of 864 for household incomes under $20,000 per year to 1141 for household incomes over $200,000.

Neither Marion Christian Academy nor New Manna School responded to requests to share their statistics before deadline Wednesday.