FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 22, 1996
SENIOR SAT SCORES RELEASED BY
FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Superintendent Robert R. Spillane has released the scores for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) seniors in the class of 1996 who took the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT I): Reasoning Test. On the verbal section of the SAT I, FCPS students scored higher than students in the nation and in the state with an average score of 543, compared to 505 nationally and 507 in Virginia. On the mathematics section, FCPS students also scored higher than students in the nation and in the state with an average score of 553, compared to 508 nationally and 496 in Virginia. When compared with 1995 scores (when these scores are "recentered" to be comparable with 1996 scores--see below), the verbal score for FCPS seniors increased five points, while the math score increased seven points. Nationwide and in Virginia, the average verbal score increased one and three points, respectively; nationwide and in Virginia the average math score increased two points. (See Table 2.)

Commenting on the scores, Spillane said, "We are pleased with these scores, especially because a very high percentage of FCPS students took the SAT I. In Fairfax County, 86 percent of the students took the test compared to 41 percent nationwide and 68 percent in Virginia. Although the number of FCPS test takers is slightly lower in 1996 than in 1995, there is an upward trend in the percentage of Fairfax County students taking the test since 1982, when 75 percent took the test, compared to 33 percent nationwide. Perhaps even more significant, the percentage of seniors taking the test who reported their ethnic background as other than White has increased for the ninth consecutive year from 17 percent in 1987 to 34 percent in 1996."

Since this is the first year that the national average scores are reported on the recentered scale, there may be some initial confusion. In April 1995, the College Board recentered the score scales for all tests in the SAT program to reflect the contemporary test-taking population. Recentering reestablished the average score for a study group of 1990 seniors at about 500--the midpoint of the 200 to 800 scale--allowing students, schools, and colleges to more easily interpret their scores in relation to those of a similar group of college-bound seniors. Recentering also simplifies comparisons between students’ verbal and mathematical abilities and improves the reliability of SAT program scores and their ability to predict success in college. (Attached is a flier that further describes the recentering process used by the College Board.)

Following are highlights of the FCPS SAT I results. A more detailed summary will be released later this year. All data in this release represent recentered scale scores.

  • The average composite score for FCPS seniors increased 12 points in 1996. Composite scores represent the combined SAT I verbal and math scores.

  • The average verbal score of 543 is ten points above the recentered average verbal score for 1992. Nationally, SAT verbal scores rose five points over the same period.

  • The average math score of 553 is 14 points above the recentered FCPS math score average for 1992. Nationally, SAT math scores rose seven points over the same time period.

  • The 1996 SAT I verbal score average improved to 543, and scores for females and males rose five and six points respectively. (See Tables 2 and 3.)

  • The SAT I average math score improved to 553, and scores for females and males rose seven and six points respectively. (See Tables 2 and 3.)

  • The SAT I average math score for females has increased 13 points since 1992. SAT I average math scores for males increased 16 points over the same time period. (See Table 3.) Nationally, average scores for females rose eight points and six points for males since 1992.

  • The 1996 average composite score for African-American students (948) was 92 points above the national composite score and 101 points above the Virginia composite score for African-American students. (See Table 4.)

  • The 1996 average composite score for Hispanic students, 1,001, remained significantly higher than the average national composite score of 919 for Hispanic students and was 21 points above the average Virginia composite score for Hispanic students. (See Table 4.)

  • The 1996 average composite scores for Asian and White students, 1,069 and 1,134 respectively, are both above the national average for Asian (1,054) and national average for White (1,049) students. (See Table 4.)


    • A description of the SAT I and cautions interpreting test results are included. (See Table 1.)

    Attachments:

    Table 1
    Description of SAT I: Reasoning Test (SAT I) and Cautions in Interpreting School Test Results
    Table 2
    SAT I Average Scores for the Nation, Virginia, and Fairfax County Public Schools, 1992 Through 1996
    Table 3
    SAT I Average Scores by Gender 1992 Through 1996
    Table 4
    SAT I Average Scores by Ethnicity 1996 (The College Board has provided only 1996 recentered average scores by ethnic group. FCPS will provide score comparisons for 1992-96 in September.)
    Table 5
    SAT I Average Scores for Individual Schools Senior Graduating Class 1992 through 1996
    Flier
    "What You Need to Know About Recentering SAT Scores"
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    Last Update: 5/21/96
    Curator: Jill Kurtz