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SAT/ACT Results

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Schools
Forum Name: School Achievements
Forum Description: From Academic results to group and individual achievements
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5883
Printed Date: Nov 23 2024 at 4:11pm


Topic: SAT/ACT Results
Posted By: VietVet
Subject: SAT/ACT Results
Date Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 11:36am
Journal story....

SAT scores flat nationwide, but improvements seen locally

SAT scores among high school seniors remain stagnant on the national level, but are on the rise in nearly all local school districts.

But local educators who question the test’s relevance say it is not as popular as the ACT exam and pales in comparison when it comes to assessing student abilities.

The College Board, the nonprofit organization that administers the test, this month reported scores from the Class of 2014 that were similar to other recent senior classes.

Overall, the mean score in reading was 497. It was 513 in math and 487 in writing.

The top score in each category is 800. A perfect score is 2,400, an achievement only reached by 583 of the 1.7 million students from the class who took the test.

Among Butler County school districts, the mean score in reading was 549. It was 568 in math and 520 in writing, according to data obtained by the Journal-News.

Three districts — Madison, Middletown and Talawanda — saw overall SAT scores increase by more than 200 points between the 2009-2010 and 2013-2014 school years

OK, TOP SCORE IS 2400.....800 IN EACH OF THE THREE CATEGORIES. MEAN SCORE FOR BUTLER COUNTY SCHOOLS IS SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN 50% IN EACH CATEGORY. IS SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN 50% CONSIDERED AN ACCOMPLISHMENT HERE? WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE CRITERIA FOR JUDGEMENT?

I NOTICED THAT TALAWANDA, MIDDLETOWN AND MADISON SAW AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 200 POINTS. THAT CERTAINLY SOUNDS LIKE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT BUT AM NOT ABLE TO MAKE AN ACTUAL JUDGEMENT AS THE ARTICLE DOESN"T MENTION WHAT THE ACTUAL INCREASED SCORES WERE IN EACH CATEGORY NOR DOES IT MENTION THE ORIGINAL NUMBER FROM WHERE THE 200 POINT INCREASE CAME FROM. IF 200 WITH A 200 POINT UPSWING, THEN THE TALLY IS STILL ONLY 50% OF WHAT THE TOP SCORE COULD HAVE BEEN. DUNNO.

Deborah Houser, Middletown City School District’s testing coordinator, said the district has been focusing more on college and career readiness.

“We are administering PSAT, which is a precursor assessment to SAT. We are providing more opportunities for students to take college and career ready assessments, for example, this year, we administered PSAT and ACT during the school year in addition to the traditional Saturday test.

The district’s emphasis on the SAT exams has changed over the year, she said.

“We do offer SATs assessments, however more emphasis is placed on ACT because of the request from our students and families,” Houser said.

However, the SAT is still a relevant gauge of student abilities, she said.

“It assesses the student’s academic readiness for college, and it gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and strengths in areas of interest,” Houser said

THAT ALL SOUNDS GREAT BUT, AGAIN, WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHERE MIDDLETOWN SCORES STAND AS TO SUCCESS WITHIN EACH OF THE THREE AREAS AND AS SUCH, ARE UNABLE TO SHARE IN THE EXCITEMENT OF THE MOMENT.

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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.


Replies:
Posted By: Trotwood
Date Posted: Oct 28 2014 at 12:32pm
It doesn't matter. Why? The population of students who take the SAT is so small it's negligible. The ACT is by far the dominant standardized college admission test in the Midwest.

So you're getting like 10 students at most in all of Middletown City schools taking the test. It's easy for those SAT results to go up markedly over a year, especially if the population of students taking the test shrinks to only the best students Middletown has to offer this year.

Posted By: Marcia Andrew
Date Posted: Oct 29 2014 at 12:43pm
The print version of the story included the following chart:
SAT Scores at Butler County School Districts
District:       2014   2013   2012   2011   2010
Fairfield:     1533   1526   1525   1525   1566
Hamilton:    1595   1591   1594   1582   1530
Lakota:       1698   1662   1646   1608   1645
Madison:    1785   1585   1499   1388   1550
Middletown:1604   1526   1410   1510   1390
Monroe:      1488   1616   1657   1426   1459
Ross:           1661   1652   1617   1503   1559
Talawanda: 1736   1696   1708   1676   1536 
 
These are the averages for the 3 parts added together. They did not give a breakdown by math, verbal, writing.

Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Oct 29 2014 at 3:41pm
Trending in the right direction Ms. Andrew. Congratulations goes to the school community. It looks as if the students who have chosen to go the college route are succeeding and are competitive with the surrounding schools. Don't know about the remaining student population choosing not to continue on with their education. Will they be prepared for the working world? Two other areas to show an upward trend.....indicators and proficiencies.

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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.


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