Friday, August 30, 2002

Fayette continues to outdo state on SAT

By MONROE ROARK
mroark@TheCitizenNews.com

While Georgia has taken a beating this week for its statewide performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Fayette County students are scoring well above the state and national averages.

Fayette's senior class of 2002 scored 12 points higher on the verbal and 16 points higher on the math sections of the test than the national average, according to a report released by the Fayette County School System.

Among Georgia students, Fayette scores were 68 points above average 27 points on verbal and 41 points on math.

The average verbal score in Fayette was 516, a three-point drop from last year, as was the overall average score of 1048. The math average was unchanged at 532.

Average SAT scores in the county have remained well above state and national averages for the past 10 years, according to the school system.

McIntosh High saw its scores rise 21 points this year, and Starr's Mill saw a 17-point hike. Fayette County High scores fell 17 points, while Sandy Creek recorded a 22-point drop.

"We are pleased with the two schools that increased their scores and will be working closely with the other two to help them boost their future totals," said Stuart Bennett, Fayette's assistant superintendent of education.

Georgia fell to 50th in the nation in SAT performance this year, the lowest performing state in the country. Only the District of Columbia saw lower scores.

Georgia students earned a two-point gain on the math portion of the 2002 test but lost two points on the verbal portion, state school superintendent Linda Schrenko said this week. The increase and decrease were consistent with the national averages.

The national average math score is 516, up two points from 2001. The national average verbal score is 504, down two points from last year. On average, 46 percent of high school students across the nation took the SAT in 2002, but in Georgia that number was more than 60 percent.


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