Wednesday, August 27, 2003
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Wednesday, August 27, 2003 |
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Fayette's SAT scores surpass '02 by 13 points By J. FRANK LYNCH
Fayette County Schools welcomed a bit of good news Monday after days of negative publicity. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) results released this week for 2003 showed Fayette students again surpassed both state and national averages by wide margins. More importantly to administrators, though, scores at both Fayette County and Sandy Creek high schools appeared to correct 2002's dismal results, the lowlight of a five-year downward trend for students at those schools. System-wide, Fayette students who took the SAT in 2003 scored on average 1061, 35 points above the national average and 77 points higher than the Georgia average. That's a 13-point increase over last year's system-wide score, 1048, and breaks a stagnant series of scores for the district that had remained virtually unchanged since 1999. Among the county's four high schools, Fayette High recorded the largest one-year jump in 2003, bouncing back to a school average of 1030, 29 points higher than last year's 1001, and the highest average score the school has seen in more than five years. Sandy Creek High, which saw a 22-point dip in scores in 2002, improved its mark to 1025, a 15-point jump over last year's 1010. While still short of the school-high 1032 scored in 2001, it bests the 998 average Sandy Creek students posted in 1999. Students at both FCHS and SCHS improved their numbers by the same margins: 16 points better in the verbal portion, and 13 points better in math, said school district spokesman Melinda Berry-Dreisbach. McIntosh High saw a meager one-point increase in its score, to 1104. Last year, McIntosh students were ranked sixth in the state on the SAT. And Starr's Mill saw its average score drop by one point, with students recording an average of 1084. "Overall we are very pleased with the SAT results and are especially proud of the significant increases made at Fayette County and Sandy Creek High Schools," said Pam Riddle, assistant superintendent for education. "These increases are a direct result of dedicated teachers and administrators," she said. "While Fayette schools remain among the best in the state and nation, we will continue to systematically evaluate our overall educational program to help ensure that our schools are bringing the best education possible to all students." In Atlanta, state Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox, a Peachtree City resident and former teacher at McIntosh High, noted that the state average increased by four points, but still didn't keep pace with the national average increase of six points. Georgia's overall 2003 SAT composite score of 984 represents the highest mean SAT score for the state over the past 10 years "What these scores show is that we need to improve student achievement across the state," said Cox. "That's a disappointment, but it's not a surprise. When we took office in January, my team and I knew where we stood; we didn't wait for these results to show us. We've put plans into motion that will yield what I believe will be significant long-term improvement in SAT scores. "I've said that I expect to be held accountable for attaining our vision of Georgia leading the nation in improving student achievement over the next four years, and our initiatives to improve SAT scores will play a significant role in those efforts," Cox said. The improvement initiatives outlined by Cox include revising and strengthening the state curriculum, expanding availability of Advanced Placement classes, increasing participation in the PSAT, and then training staff to better read PSAT results and make changes accordingly in instruction. Fayette County's high participation on the PSAT and heavy emphasis on writing skills in all grade levels has been credited for the system's strong performance on the SAT.
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