Fairfax County Public Schools Students Post Highest SAT Scores Ever

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) students achieved an average combined score of 1114 system wide for the SAT I: Reasoning Test (SAT), the highest ever reported for FCPS by the College Board, according to figures released by FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. The scores represent tests taken by FCPS seniors in the class of 2005.

According to figures compiled by the College Board, which administers the SAT, FCPS students scored much higher on the mathematics section than students across the nation and in Virginia, with an average score of 565, compared to 520 nationwide and 514 statewide. On the verbal section of the SAT, FCPS students also scored significantly higher than students in the nation and in Virginia with an average score of 549, compared to 508 nationwide and 516 statewide. The verbal average score for FCPS in 2005 increased by two points when compared to 2004, and the math score showed an increase of seven points compared to 2004.

“Not only have our students attained a new level of achievement overall, but they have achieved historic highs on both aspects of the test, verbal and math”, said Dale . “We are particularly pleased to see the large increases in both verbal and math achievement for our Hispanic students, with jumps of 8 points on the verbal and 11 on the math. Although we were heartened to see the overall increase for our Black students from 922 to 923, and the nice gain in math from 459 to 464, we will be looking very closely at ways to help all student groups achieve similar success on the verbal portion of the SAT test.”

FCPS has also released a set of SAT data separate from that reported by the College Board. The FCPS-compiled data are based on more accurately analyzed FCPS results and show an average verbal score of 560 and a math score of 575 system wide. The FCPS method uses the test scores of students in the senior class in June 2005 based on the FCPS student information system and ethnic designations taken from school registration records. College Board data include the scores of all students who take the SAT tests at Fairfax County high schools, including students from other jurisdictions and students who are home schooled. The FCPS score report excludes non-FCPS students as well as students who were tested while enrolled in FCPS but who moved or may have been retained and were not part of the senior class.

Also, the ethnic categories of the students in table 4 are determined by their designations in the FCPS student information system rather than the self-reported designations from the College Board, which tend to underestimate the true minority count. If a student was tested more than once, FCPS uses the highest score–the score routinely considered by colleges in the acceptance process. This reporting practice provides a more accurate analysis of how FCPS students are performing and of the effectiveness of systemwide SAT initiatives. Most school systems report average SAT scores using College Board-reported data.

Following are highlights of the SAT results for FCPS, using College Board-reported data:

• FCPS Asian students’ scores increased from 2004 to 2005 by 2 points on the verbal section and 11 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• FCPS Black students’ scores decreased by 5 points on the verbal section and increased by 6 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• FCPS Hispanic students’ scores increased by 8 points on the verbal section and 11 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• FCPS White students’ scores increased by 3 points on the verbal section and 7 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• When compared with 2004 scores, the FCPS average verbal score increased by two points, and the math score increased seven points, exceeding gains seen at the national and state levels. The national verbal average stayed the same from 2004 to 2005, and the math average increased by two points. In Virginia , the average verbal score increased by one point and the average math score increased five points. (See table 1.)

• Verbal and math scores for all FCPS ethnic groups exceeded all national and state averages for ethnic groups. (See table 3.)

• FCPS Asian students’ scores exceeded national Asian students’ scores by 12 points on the verbal section and 10 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• FCPS Black students’ scores exceeded national Black students’ scores by 26 points on the verbal section and 33 points on the math section (See table 3.)

• FCPS Hispanic students’ scores exceeded national Hispanic students’ scores by 39 points on the verbal section and 41 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

• FCPS White students’ scores exceeded national White students’ scores by 40 points on the verbal section and 41 points on the math section. (See table 3.)

Table 1 contains the SAT scores, as reported by the College Board, which uses the scores of every student who took the SATs and who identified him- or herself as a member of the graduating class of 2005 at the time of testing.

Table 2 contains the SAT scores as compiled by FCPS.

Table 3 contains the average scores, by ethnic categories, as reported by the College Board.

Table 4 contains the average scores, by ethnic categories, as compiled by FCPS.

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Note: For more information, contact Ray Diroll , director, FCPS Office of Student Testing, at 703-208-7779 .

Attachments:

Description of the SAT and Cautions in Interpreting School Results

Table 1: SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation, 2002 through 2005, as Reported by the College
Board

Table 2: SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation, 2002 through 2005, as Reported by Fairfax County
Public Schools

Table 3: SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virgini , and the Nation by Ethnicity, 2002 through 2005, as Reported by
the College Board

Table 4: SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation by Ethnicity, 2002 through 2005, as Reported by
Fairfax County Public Schools

Description of the SAT and Cautions in Interpreting School Results Description of the SAT

The SAT measures the basic verbal and mathematical abilities that a student has acquired over many years, both in and out of school. It tests ability to reason rather than to remember facts, and it does not require special preparation. Results are reported in three-digit scaled scores on a 200- to 800-point scale. This report summarizes information for 2005 seniors who took the SAT any time during their high school years through June 2005.

Cautions in Interpreting School Test Results

Readers are cautioned not to rely too heavily upon test scores as measures of instructional quality and not to use test scores exclusively to compare schools, areas, or school systems. Any interpretation of SAT results should take into account the following:

1. The SAT does not attempt to assess any specific local high school curriculum or a more general “national curriculum.”
   
   
2. The multiple-choice format limits the type of questions that can be asked and the skills that can be covered. For instance, students are not asked to write a sentence or a paragraph. This test does not assess listening or oral communication skills nor does it attempt to measure such work-related attributes as responsibility, initiative, and creativity.
   
   
3. Each year’s average score for a school represents the results for a completely different group of students.
   
   
4. The average scores of students in smaller high schools will tend to vary more from year to year than the average scores of students from larger schools.
   
   
5. Average scores for schools do not give information about how many students scored at a high level or a low level. In each school, many students may score at a high level and many others may score at a low level.
   
   
6. Since all students in a school, school system, or state do not take the SAT, and since the population of test takers is self-selected, using aggregate SAT scores to compare or evaluate teachers, schools, systems, states, or other educational units is not valid, and the College Board strongly discourages such use.
   

Adapted from A Profile of SAT Program Test Takers by the College Board