Tuesday, September 14, 2010

SAT scores jump in MCPS; outside analyst calls for investigation

Lisa Gartner reports in today's DC Examiner that the sudden jump in SAT scores in MCPS might be because some students were steered away from taking the SAT in the most recent reporting period.

From the article:
SAT scores jump in Montgomery, D.C.
By: Lisa Gartner
Examiner Staff Writer
September 13, 2010

'Mind-boggling' scores for Md. county close in on rival Fairfax
SAT scores soared in the District of Columbia and Montgomery County last year, while Fairfax County students' scores -- the highest in the area — flatlined.

"We expect all of our students to challenge themselves with rigorous classes regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status," Deputy Superintendent Frieda K. Lacey said. "They are showing us that they can meet and well exceed those expectations."

[...]

Still, participation dropped in Montgomery, particularly among blacks and Hispanics, with 10 percent fewer students in both groups taking the test.

Educational analysts say that drop could have propped up the results and that Montgomery school officials are "not telling the truth."

"When you reduce your test-taking population, scores will go up because only the cream of the crop are taking it," said Robert Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing in Cambridge, Mass. "But that might not be a better thing -- that may mean fewer students are thinking about college."

Schaeffer said a 38-point spike in one year is "mind-boggling" and "merits an investigation."

"It may be that low-scoring students were dissuaded from taking the test," he said. The percentage of county students taking the SAT dropped from 78.0 percent in 2009 to 71.4 percent.

Tofig attributed the participation drop to more students taking the ACT instead. But compared with last year, just 4.7 percent more African-American students and 3.2 more Hispanic students took only the ACT -- explaining less than half of the drop.

2 comments:

  1. Another way to look into results that controls for average score is to look at raw numbers achieving a "college ready" score. In 2009, about 3611 students got a 1650 or above. In 2010 about 3647 students got a 1650 or above. That's a growth rate of about 1%. Not bad, except that the number of graduates grew at a 2% rate (from 9829 in 2009 to 10050 in 2010). What can we tell from this? What we can tell is nothing miraculous occured last year with regards to SAT scores. I don't exactly think an investigation is needed but I also think the MCPS propaganda headlines are a bit over the top.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sent out in an elementary school newsletter:
    Facts about the MCPS Graduating Class of 2010:
    Scored an average of 1653 on the SAT, an all-time high for MCPS
    51 percent scored 1650 or higher on the SAT
    Earned more than $234 million in college scholarships
    62 National Merit Scholarship Awards
    238 Ivy League Acceptances
    Helped place seven schools in the Top 100 of Newsweek's Best High Schools

    ReplyDelete

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