Wake 2001-2002 SAT Scores Highest Ever

August 27, 2002 - SAT scores for last year's Wake seniors were the highest ever achieved in the Wake County Public School System, and the Wake average score was far above the state and national average.

"Our high school teachers and principals answered the challenge and our seniors rose to the occasion in 2001-2002," Superintendent Bill McNeal said. "Our high school seniors are back on track and better than ever."

The average SAT score for Wake seniors in 2001-2002 was 1067, a 13-point gain from 2000-2001, and a six-point gain from the previous high score of 1061 achieved in 1999-2000. The average national score was 1020 and average North Carolina score was 998.

The SAT is a national exam designed to measure a student's chance of success at the college level. Students receive separate mathematics and verbal scores, as well as a total score.

Both math and verbal scores were the highest they have ever been for Wake County students. Wake students scored an average of 543 on math and 524 on verbal.

Since 1990, Wake students' average verbal scores have risen 23 points and average math scores have risen 45 points. The Wake increase of 68 points since 1990 far exceeds North Carolina's increase of 50 points and the national increase of 19 points.

Garner High and Leesville Road High students showed the greatest increase in scores. The average score for Garner students grew by 32 points. The average score for Leesville Road students grew by 31 points.

At Garner High, SAT preparatory classes supported by the Garner Education Foundation were offered during spring weekends, and SAT study classes were offered during the school year as an elective.

"The math department offered weekend tutoring for the SAT and the English Department introduced word games that helped to build vocabulary," said Garner Principal Cathy Johnson. "Our students took advantage of the opportunities we offered them."

At Leesville Road High, there was a high participation rate on the SAT and principal Richard Murphy explained that students were encouraged to take the test several times.

"We encouraged students to challenge themselves with more rigorous courses and we encouraged students to take the test three times," Murphy said. "The more courses you take and the more often you take the test, the better scores you will see."

Murphy said he was happy to see an increase in the number of students who were the first in their family to take the test.

"It's all about giving students options," Murphy said. "If they do well on the SAT, it gives them another option as they graduate from high school."

The average SAT scores increased by 22 points at both Broughton and Millbrook high schools.

Broughton High principal Diane Payne praised her teachers for working diligently to improve student achievement

"As a school we have targeted math remediation as one of the ways to improve student performance," Payne said. "We have used NovaNet extensively and increased our after school assistance to students. We had additional tutors from N.C. State University working with our students. Our English department also has a program that they use regularly to build vocabulary."

At Millbrook High, Principal David Rockefeller arranged to have the school's Media Center opened for extended hours.

"One of our Media Specialists worked a flex schedule that allowed us to keep the Media Center open until 6 p.m. so that students could use a wide range of resources to assist them academically," Rockefeller said. "SAT prep and review software was accessible to students on all 30 of the Media Center computers. With encouragement from their classroom teachers, many students took advantage of the opportunity to work individually on SAT testing skills."

Millbrook has expanded the school's SAT elective to a full year by pairing its verbal and math semester courses. In math, teachers regularly include SAT-format questions on tests and conduct extensive review sessions immediately prior to the test. Counselors conduct in-depth reviews of PSAT scores and profiles during students' junior and sophomore years and use that information to guide them toward appropriate programs that will help them succeed.

For the first time, Green Hope High and Wakefield High had senior classes in 2001-2002. The average score for Green Hope students was 1070 and Wakefield students earned a score of 1007.

Participation of the 2002 Wake senior class did not change from the previous year, remaining at 79 percent, far above North Carolina and national participation rates. Our state's rate was 67 percent, and the national rate was 46 percent.

The average math scores of Asian students and African-American students increased substantially in 2002. The average score of Wake African-American students increased 18 points, and the average score for Wake Asian students increased 14 points. The gap between Wake's White students and African-American students has changed little during the past five years.

"We are particularly encouraged to see verbal scores increase in WCPSS, because the national trend has been flat," said Karen Banks, assistant superintendent of evaluation and research. "It was good to see that 11 of 13 high schools improved since the previous year."