SAT scores decrease, following state and national trends
August 25, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dr. Terri Mozingo, Chief Academic Officer
Instructional Services, 560-2027
DURHAM—The average score for seniors taking the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) decreased by four points for Durham Public Schools seniors during the 2008-09 school year. The average score for North Carolina and the United States also decreased.
The average score for the senior class of 2008 in DPS was 965, four points below last year’s average of 969.
There was an overall one-point decrease in average SAT scores in North Carolina, which reported an average 1006 compared to last year’s 1007. The average score for the United States also fell one point, at 1016 this year.
Points of interest regarding 2009 SAT results include:
- Two schools reported increases in their overall average SAT scores. They include Durham School of the Arts, which reported a 25-point increase (1057 to 1082) and Josephine D. Clement Early College High School, with a 15-point increase (902 to 917).
- Schools with average combined verbal and math scores higher than the North Carolina average score of 1006: DSA (1082), Jordan (1064), and Riverside (1009).
- Schools with average combined verbal and math scores higher than the national average score of 1016: DSA (1082) and Jordan (1064).
- DPS African-American students’ average math score (430) is 4 points higher than the national average math score (426) for African-American students.
- DPS white students (1098) exceed both the state (1063) and the national (1064) average scores for white students.
Ongoing strategies will continue in the effort to increase academic rigor and SAT participation, and to increase the average SAT score include:
- The continuation of efforts toward reform in middle and high schools.
- Increasing enrollment in advanced math and Advanced Placement courses;
- Placing greater emphasis on use of College Board software and additional technology in preparing students to take the test; and,
- Maintaining high standards and challenging students in all academic classes, plus increasing writing and vocabulary exercises across the curriculum.
“Average SAT scores tend to fluctuate over time, and while we are concerned with this decrease, it is nonetheless a very small one,” said Superintendent Carl Harris. “We will continue to work to ensure that our students are given the level of academic rigor that they need, along with the support that is required not only to perform well on the SAT and other standardized tests, but also to excel in college and the workplace.”
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Attachment Includes:
Durham Public Schools 2008-09 SAT Outcomes by High School
SAT Performance 1989-90 through 2008-09
African-American, White and Hispanic SAT Performance for DPS, N.C. and U.S.
SAT Performance 2005-06 through 2008-09
