Tuesday, August 26

Fairfax County Public Schools Class of 2003 Posts Highest SAT Scores Ever

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent Daniel A. Domenech has released the average SAT I: Reasoning Test (SAT) scores for FCPS seniors in the class of 2003. According to figures compiled by the College Board, which administers the SAT, FCPS students scored a combined 1110 on the SATs in 2003. FCPS students scored much higher on the mathematics section than students across the nation and in Virginia with an average score of 564, compared to 519 nationwide and 510 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 546, compared to 507 nationwide and 514 statewide. The average verbal score for FCPS in 2003 increased by six points compared to 2002 and the math score showed a strong increase of eight points compared to 2002.

Domenech said, “An average SAT score of 1110 systemwide, the highest ever reported for FCPS by the College Board, is a solid indicator that the measures that have been put into place the last few years to affect student achievement are having a strong, positive impact.”

FCPS has also released a set of SAT data separate from data reported by the College Board. The FCPS-compiled data are based on more accurately analyzed FCPS results and show an average verbal score of 557 and an average math score of 575 systemwide. The FCPS method uses the test scores of students in the senior class in June 2003 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.

If a student was tested more than once, FCPS uses the higher or highest score–which is 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:

•	When compared with 2002 scores, the FCPS average verbal score increased by six points, and the math score increased eight points. National averages increased at a slower rate than in FCPS–both the average verbal and the average math scores increased by three points. In Virginia, both the verbal and math scores increased four points. (See Table 1.)
•	Verbal and math scores for all FCPS ethnic groups met or exceeded all national and state averages for ethnic groups. (See Table 3.)
•	FCPS Asian students’ scores exceeded national Asian students’ scores by 13 points on the verbal section and 12 points on the math section. (See Table 3.)
•	FCPS Black students’ scores exceeded national Black students’ scores by 38 points on the verbal section and 45 points on the math section (See Table 3.)
•	FCPS Hispanic students’ scores exceeded national Hispanic students’ scores by 44 points on the verbal section and 42 points on the math section. (See Table 3.)
•	FCPS White students’ scores exceeded national White students’ scores by 41 points on the verbal section and 45 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 2003 at the time of testing. Table 2 contains the SAT scores as interpreted 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 reported by FCPS.
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, 2000 Through 2003, as Reported by the College Board
Table 2:	SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation, 2000 Through 2003, as Reported by Fairfax County Public Schools
Table 3:	SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation by Ethnicity, 2000 Through 2003, as Reported by the College Board
Table 4:	SAT Average Scores for Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia, and the Nation by Ethnicity, 2000 Through 2003, 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 2003 seniors who took the SAT at any time during their high school years through June 2003.

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