2010 College-Bound Seniors Results Underscore Importance of Academic Rigor

/PRNewswire/ -- More college-bound students in the class of 2010 took the SAT® than in any other high school graduating class in history, the College Board announced today. Nearly 1.6 million students from this year's graduating class participated in the college-going process by taking the SAT, and their overall performance underscored the critical role that course-taking patterns and academic rigor play in college readiness.

"Engaging students with more rigorous course work and demanding higher standards are critical in providing America's students with an education that will prepare them to compete in the 21st-century economy," said College Board President Gaston Caperton. "This report confirms that there are no tricks and there are no shortcuts to college readiness. Students who take more rigorous courses in high school are more prepared to succeed in college and beyond."

Impact of Course-Taking Patterns on College Readiness

Students in the class of 2010 who reported completing a core curriculum -- defined as four or more years of English, three or more years of mathematics, three or more years of natural science, and three or more years of social science and history -- scored, on average, 151 points higher on the SAT than those who did not complete a core curriculum.

Academic Intensity Influences SAT Performance

In addition to course-taking patterns, the rigor of a student's course work also plays a critical role in college readiness. As in previous years, students in the class of 2010 who reported taking the most demanding honors or Advanced Placement® courses performed better on the SAT.

"The SAT is a proven indicator of college readiness and a valuable tool in connecting students to college success and opportunity," said Laurence Bunin, senior vice president of the College Board's College Connection & Success System. "It is critical that all students -- especially those traditionally underrepresented in higher education -- have access to the curriculum that best prepares them for college. That is why the College Board has worked so closely on the Common Core State Standards Initiative and why we have expanded our fee-waiver program. Every student in America should have access to a world-class education that will prepare them to compete in a global economy."

SAT Alignment to the Common Core State Standards

The College Board has been one of the original partner organizations in the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS) since its launch in spring 2009. As part of this partnership, the College Board helped draft the original College and Career Readiness Standards, provided feedback on the K-12 standards and served on the advisory group that guided the initiative. Currently, 37 states have officially adopted the Common Core State Standards, and the College Board is committed to helping states and districts understand how to implement these new common standards.

The College Board has prepared an alignment study, to be released this fall, that examines the relationship between the Common Core State Standards and the SAT in the areas of critical reading, writing and mathematics. The study concludes that all of the knowledge and skills topics tested on the SAT are represented in the Common Core State Standards. The SAT's alignment with the CCSS means that states and districts that have adopted the Common Core State Standards can incorporate the SAT into their assessment implementation plans. Furthermore, states and districts can be confident that students whose curriculum is tied to the Common Core State Standards will be acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed on the SAT.

The PSAT/NMSQT® Provides Path to SAT Success

In addition to a core curriculum and rigorous course work, the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) is another important step on the path to college readiness. The PSAT/NMSQT provides valuable tools that can help students and educators identify the students' academic strengths and weaknesses in time to prepare for the SAT and education opportunities beyond high school. Of the SAT takers in the class of 2010, 80.8 percent reported taking the PSAT/NMSQT.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures the same skills as the SAT, and students who take the PSAT/NMSQT generally perform better on the SAT. Students in the class of 2010 who took the PSAT/NMSQT before taking the SAT had a higher combined score of 146 points, on average, than students who did not take the PSAT/NMSQT.

SAT Fee-Waiver Program Benefits 1 in 5 Students

In keeping with its mission to connect students to college success and opportunity, the College Board provides SAT fee waivers to low-income students for whom exam fees would present an unnecessary barrier in the college-going process. Nearly 1 out of every 5 students in the 2010 cohort who took the SAT utilized fee waivers, and the College Board granted more than $30 million in fee waivers and related services to qualifying students in the class of 2010.

SAT Participation Increases

Nearly 1.6 million students in the class of 2010 participated in the college-going process by taking the SAT during high school. In addition to being the largest class of SAT takers ever, the class of 2010 has the distinction of being the most diverse group of test-takers in the 84-year history of the SAT. Of the SAT takers in the class of 2010, 41.5 percent were minority students, up from 40.0 percent in 2009 and 28.6 percent in 2000. In the last decade, minority participation in the SAT grew 78.3 percent.

SAT Performance Stable as More Students Test

This year's college-bound seniors averaged 501 in critical reading, 516 in mathematics and 492 in writing. On a long-term basis, students' mathematics scores have experienced an upward trend and are now two points higher than in 2000 and 15 points higher than in 1990, while students' critical reading scores have declined four points in the last decade but are one point higher than in 1990.

Research Continues to Demonstrate the Value of the SAT in College Admission and Retention

The SAT is an extremely valuable tool for determining students' college readiness. Last year the College Board released an updated validity study showing that the SAT and high school grade point average (HSGPA) are equally predictive in determining first-year college grade point average (FYGPA). As always, the combination of SAT scores and HSGPA is the best predictor of FYGPA.

The SAT is also useful in predicting college success beyond the first year. An upcoming research study examining the validity of the SAT in predicting second-year cumulative GPA shows that the SAT remains a strong predictor of college success even into a student's second year in college. Future research will examine the predictive validity of the SAT in terms of college grade point average through the third and fourth years, and finally graduation.

College completion is at the top of College Board and national education agendas. Student retention into the second and third years of college is a critical step toward achieving higher graduation rates. College Board research demonstrates that the SAT can be used by admission personnel to help predict the likelihood that a student will return to school. Research on second-year retention (2009) and third-year retention (in press) shows that SAT performance is related to a students' likelihood of returning to school, even after accounting for HSGPA.

The 2010 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report and the State Profile Reports are available at http://www.collegeboard.com/SATpress. The 1,597,329 SAT takers in the class of 2010 include all students who took the SAT through June 2010. The college-bound seniors cohort traditionally has included students who tested through March of their senior year. However, the College Board has observed a trend in which more students are taking the SAT for the first time in May or June of their senior year and is expanding the cohort to include this group of college-bound students. Trend data in the 2010 College-Bound Seniors Total Group Profile Report and the 2010 College-Bound Seniors State Profile Reports include students in the class of 2010 who took the SAT through March of their senior year. Beginning in 2011, college-bound seniors trend data will include students who took the SAT through June of their senior year.

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SAT: Georgia's Minority Students Outperform Nation

Minority students in Georgia public schools continue to outperform African-American and Hispanic students across the country on the SAT.

But, the College Board's 2009 SAT report also shows that Georgia must remain committed to closing the achievement gap and preparing all students for the 21st century.

"It is good news that our African-American and Hispanic students are doing better than their peers nationally," said State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox. "But Georgia is a very diverse state and if we are serious about raising our SAT scores, we must be fully committed to closing the achievement gap.”

Overall, Georgia, like the nation, saw a slight drop in the SAT scores of 2009 high school graduates.

Georgia's public, private and home school students scored 1,460 on the SAT, down six points from 2008. The national average was 1,509, down two points from the previous year. Public school students scored 1,450 on the exam, down three points from 2008. The national average score was 1,493, down two points from the previous year.

The Need to Close the Gap

The 2009 SAT report clearly shows that African-American and Hispanic students in Georgia's public schools are outperforming those subgroups nationally.

- African-American students in Georgia public schools scored 1,274, which was 10 points higher than the national average for African-American public school students (1,264).

- Hispanic public school students in Georgia scored a 1,412, which was 66 points higher than the national average (1,346).

The difference between the scores of African-American and white public school students -- called "the achievement gap" -- is 274 points in Georgia, which is 34 points smaller than the achievement gap nationwide (308). The gap between the scores of Hispanic and white public school students in Georgia is 136 points, 90 points lower than the nation (226).

However, Superintendent Cox pointed out that Georgia has very high minority participation on the SAT and the achievement gap impacts our overall SAT scores more than most other states.
“We certainly should be pleased that our achievement gap is smaller than the nation’s, but we should not be satisfied with 274 and 136 point gaps,” Superintendent Cox said. “As a state, we have made progress on many state and national tests, such as the ACT and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But clearly we must maintain – and expand – our commitment to providing all students a world-class education.”

Superintendent Cox said a lot of work is already being done. For instance, the state has been pushing to increase the number of students who are taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes and the 2009 data shows that it is working. The number of students taking AP classes jumped more than 11 percent, overall. The biggest increase in enrollment was among African-American students (+16.2%) and Hispanic students (+19.3 percent). This is important because students who take even one year of AP classes in any subject will score higher on the SAT.

“Our school districts have been working to engage more of our minority students in rigorous classes,” Superintendent Cox said. “But I want us to come together and agree to redouble our efforts to close the achievement gap in Georgia once and for all. I am confident that working hand-in-hand we can make it happen.”

Over the next several weeks, Superintendent Cox said she will be in contact with local school districts, especially those with a high minority enrollment.

Raising Math Achievement

Superintendent Cox pointed out that, overall, Georgia trails the national average on the mathematics portion of the SAT by 24 points, which is far more than the state is trailing in reading (11 points) and writing (14 points).

"If we are going to improve student achievement, including our SAT scores, then we must be serious about improving math achievement in Georgia," Superintendent Cox said. "With our new curriculum, we are making sure that all students are getting a strong foundation in mathematics that will prepare them not only for the SAT, but for the colleges and careers of the 21st century."

The 2009 SAT Report to the Nation reflects the scores of last year's senior class. None of those students were taught using the state's new math curriculum, the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). Implementation of the math GPS began with sixth-graders in 2005 and has been phased in one grade per year. Students in the class of 2012 will be the first graduating class to have been fully instructed in GPS mathematics during secondary school.

High Participation and Ongoing Analysis

Georgia remains one of 24 "high participation" states, where more than 40 percent of the students take the SAT. In Georgia, 71 percent of all students took the SAT, much higher than the national participation rate of 46 percent.

While overall SAT participation in Georgia went up slightly this year, participation in Georgia public schools dropped more than eight percent. Meanwhile, the number of public school students taking the ACT increased over 11 percent in 2009. (ACT RESULTS)

The state continues to offer all high school students free access to the College Board’s Official SAT Online Course. In 2008, students who used the course scored 48 points higher than those who did not.

“If you have a high school student, get them enrolled in this course today and make sure they start using it,” Superintendent Cox said. “This is an incredibly valuable tool that has a big impact on SAT performance.” For more information, go to: www.gadoe.org/SATPrepClass

ABOUT THE SAT:
The SAT is a college entrance exam that is developed, administered and scored by the College Board. The SAT is designed to test the subject matter learned by students in high school and the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in college. The test has three sections – critical reading, mathematics and writing – each worth 800 points, for a highest possible score of 2,400.

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Five Georgia High Schools Win Governor's Cup

Governor Sonny Perdue and State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox honored five Georgia high schools today with Governor’s Cup trophies for improvement in SAT scores. Governor Perdue initiated the statewide competition in 2003 as part of an overall effort to raise Georgia's SAT scores.

"In any competition – athletic or academic – how you prepare is how you’ll play. Georgia's students are working harder than ever to perform well on the SAT,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. "I know that dedicated teachers, involved parents and hard-working students all worked together on this outstanding achievement. I’m pleased to recognize their collective success and present these schools with the Governor’s Cup trophies."

Each of the five high schools that won their respective classes was awarded a Governor's Cup trophy and a $2,000 grant towards SAT preparation resources. Juniors and seniors at the winning schools also received T-shirts. The Governor's Cup challenge is based on high school athletic regions and classifications previously assigned by the Georgia High School Association. The winning schools are:

Towns County High School Towns County A

Model High School Floyd County AA

Crisp County High School Crisp County AAA

Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School Catoosa County AAAA

Savannah Arts Academy Chatham County AAAAA

"This type of improvement on the SAT comes from focusing on the importance of reading, writing and analytical thinking across all areas of the curriculum," said Superintendent Cox. "Our Governor's Cup winners are showing the entire state what happens when you combine hard work and high expectations. Congratulations to all of the students and educators in these winning schools."

A regional champion trophy and a $1,000 grant were also awarded to 32 high schools with the largest numerical improvement in SAT scores in their region. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is a partner in the Governor’s Cup, providing all prizes to the winning schools.

The Governor's Cup challenge is a part of Governor Perdue's efforts to improve students' performance on the SAT and their potential for success in post-secondary education. Along with the Governor's Cup challenge, Governor Perdue also launched gacollege411.org, an online resource providing post-secondary education planning materials to students statewide.

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Cox have also made free online SAT prep classes available to all high school students. In 2006-2007, nearly 40 percent of Georgia's high school students from private, public and home school programs used the SAT prep class.

Governor Perdue has placed graduation coaches in Georgia's middle and high schools to identify students who otherwise might not graduate and help them back on the path towards a diploma.

Governor Perdue and Superintendent Kathy Cox also announced the 2008 top score winners. The following schools demonstrated the highest SAT scores in their GHSA class over a 3 year period:

Trion City Trion High School A

Decatur City Decatur High School AA

Richmond Davidson Magnet School AAA

Fayette McIntosh High School AAAA

Cobb Walton High School AAAAA

The following schools represent the Governor’s Cup regional winners: Alpharetta High School, Banneker High School, Brooks County High School, Burke County High School, Callaway High School, Campbell High School, Central High School, Chestatee High School, Clinch County High School, Colquitt County High School, Dawson County High School, Decatur High School, Douglass High School, Forsyth Central High School, Gordon Lee High School, Lakeside High School, Lincoln County High School, Long County School, Madison County High School, Mary Persons High School, Mays High School, McNair High School, Metter High School, Newnan High School, Oconee County High School, Parkview High School, Schley Middle High School, Sequoyah High School, Spencer High School, Treutlen Middle/High School, Upson-Lee High School, Vidalia Comprehensive High School.

For more information on the Governor’s Cup, visit www.satrocks.com.

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Georgia Southern University Sets Record Marks for Enrollment, Retention, Average SAT Score

Georgia Southern University released its enrollment figures for the Fall 2008 semester Tuesday showing record growth in enrollment, student retention, and an all-time high average SAT score by incoming freshmen.

Enrollment at Georgia Southern for fall semester 2008 is 17,748 students. That is the largest enrollment in the university’s history and is up 28 percent from 10 years ago. Not only are more students enrolling at Georgia Southern, they are also staying at Georgia Southern. The University’s student retention rate reached a record 81 percent, up nearly 15 percent since 1999. Georgia Southern is also attracting higher quality students. This semester’s freshman class has an average SAT score of 1111, higher than any class in the University’s history. The average SAT score is also significantly higher than state and national averages.

“These achievements are the result of a decade of hard work and dedication to our students and our university’s future,” said Bruce Grube, president of Georgia Southern University.

Linda Bleicken, Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs says Georgia Southern’s growth and achievement has an economic impact that reaches far beyond the university as students graduate and put their degrees to work. “If a student comes here and they are successful it’s important in the life of the student. But, it is also important for the progress of our region and our state,” she said.

“Parents are recognizing the value of not only the education, but the experience that their children receive at Georgia Southern,” says Teresa Thompson, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. “We pride ourselves on combining all of the benefits a major university with the feeling of a much smaller college. Students like this because they can stand out and get involved and parents love it because they know their son or daughter is receiving personal attention.”

Grube says while much has been accomplished in the last ten years, the University community is committed to growing its programs and opportunities for students. “This is a wonderful time to be a part of Georgia Southern University and we are excited about our future.”

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UGA Findings Support Controversial SAT Writing Test

The first independent, academic study of the redesigned SAT college entrance exam finds that the new writing portion is a much better predictor of academic success than the verbal and math portions of the exam.

Three economists in the University of Georgia Terry College of Business analyzed data from more than 4,300 test takers and, unlike a recent study published by the group that administers the test, accounted for factors – such as level of parental education and the high school the student attended – that strongly influence success in college.

The writing section of the test was introduced in March 2005, and the researchers note that the lack of data on its effectiveness has led nearly half of the nation’s colleges and universities to disregard the scores. David Mustard, the associate professor of economics who co-authored the study with professor Christopher Cornwell and student Jessica Van Parys, said the team’s finding suggests that schools shouldn’t ignore SAT writing scores.

“Schools who don’t use the writing portion of the SAT are foregoing an opportunity to choose a class of students that will score higher GPAs, enroll in more credit hours, will be less likely to withdraw from classes and are likely to do well in a whole array of different variables,” Mustard said. “They’re really throwing out information that will help them choose a more qualified class.”

The researchers found that with each 100-point increase in SAT writing scores, first-year students:

Earn GPAs that are, on average, .07 points higher;
Earn .18 points higher in freshman English classes; and
Earn .54 more credit hours.
The SAT verbal (now known as the critical-reading section) was also a significant predictor of collegiate success, but not nearly as powerful as the writing section. With each 100-point increase on the SATV, students earned freshman GPAs that were .03 points higher, less than one half the .07 increase for the SATW.

Cornwell points out that the significance of SATV scores diminishes when the writing score is taken into account.

“Statistically speaking, the verbal section doesn’t add much predictive value beyond the writing section,” Cornwell said.

Still, the researchers said it is too soon to eliminate the verbal portion of the test. “The writing section could be a better measure of academic ability than the verbal,” Van Parys said, “but another explanation is that it’s so new that students haven’t yet learned to game the test.”

The researchers found high school GPA is still a much stronger predictor of collegiate success than any individual or combined sections of the SAT, but note that the test is clearly useful in differentiating between students who have equal GPAs.

The team examined data from incoming students at the University of Georgia in 2006, the year in which the first cohort of students to take the redesigned test enrolled. They said their results are likely to apply to other large, selective public universities.

The UGA study comes on the heels of one conducted by The College Board, the group that administers the SAT. The College Board study used a larger sample, Mustard said, but only took into account broad institutional characteristics like size and selectivity and whether the college or university was public or private. The College Board study only looked at the predictive value of SAT scores with regard to one variable – freshman GPA – while the UGA study looked at several outcome variables in addition to freshman GPA, including grades in freshman English and math classes, credit hours enrolled, credit hours earned and the probability that a student will lose Georgia’s merit-based HOPE scholarship. Notably, the researchers found that predictive effect of the SATW is higher than the SATV in all of the outcomes, excluding those related to mathematics.

The UGA study also controlled for personal variables, such as the number of advanced placement classes taken in high school, and family characteristics, such as the level of parental education. These statistical controls are critical, the researchers note, because such factors have a significant influence on collegiate success. Controlling for the high school the student attended, which takes into account the quality of the school, community demographic variables and the effects of peers, increases the explanatory power of their model by 50 percent, for example.

“There are so many variables that influence success in college that simply correlating SAT scores with first-year GPAs doesn’t tell you much about the predictive value of the test,” Mustard said. “By holding constant a range of factors, we were essentially able to take a person that has the same family characteristics, education, high school GPA, race, ethnicity and gender and then see how well variations in SAT scores predict success in college. Despite what critics might say, the test scores really do matter.”