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Wake County Students Continue to Excel on 2006 SAT

August 29, 2006 - SAT scores for 2006 Wake County Public School System seniors are the first to reflect the new scores of a three-section SAT with math, critical reading and writing. On the first administration of the new college entrance exam, WCPSS seniors averaged 544 on math, 522 on critical reading and 510 on writing. The combined average score is 1576.

The College Board has maintained a scoring system of a total of 800 points per section. On the two sections of the old test, a perfect score would have been 1600. Students can now score up to 800 on each of three sections, or a perfect score of 2400.

The new writing section includes an essay and multiple-choice questions on writing. The old verbal section is now the critical reading section. Analogies have been eliminated, but analogical reasoning was not; questions of this nature are imbedded in the short reading passages. In the math section, Algebra II content has been added and quantitative comparisons have been eliminated.

WCPSS compared to state and nation
The WCPSS average score of 1576 compares with an average score of 1518 in the U.S. and an average score of 1493 in North Carolina. The WCPSS average score is 58 points higher than the US average and 83 points higher than the North Carolina average.

WCPSS participation remained high with 77 percent of students taking the exam. The WCPSS participation is higher than the North Carolina participation rate of 71 percent and the U.S. participation rate of 48 percent.

Seven WCPSS high schools score above 1600
Enloe High had the highest average score of WCPSS high schools with a score of 1737. Five other schools had average scores above 1600 including Green Hope at 1643, Apex at 1634, Broughton at 1623, Leesville at 1616 and Cary at 1609. Students at Athens Drive were close to 1600 with an average of 1598.

In the writing section, Enloe had the highest average score of WCPSS high schools at 564. Broughton had 532 and Green Hope had 530. In the critical reading section, Enloe had the high average score of 579. Broughton had 539. Cary and Green Hope averaged 538. In the math section, Enloe had the high average score of 594. Green Hope had 575. Apex and Leesville averaged 564.

Principals discuss the changing exam
In 2006, Enloe High students averaged 1737: 594 on math, 579 on critical reading and 564 on writing.

Principal Beth Cochran said her faculty does an excellent job of teaching critical thinking and writing skills. Cochran said a lot of Enloe students take additional electives that require writing. Students hone critical thinking skills by taking additional Advanced Placement electives that increases critical thinking skills. In 11th and 12th grade, Enloe combines Honors and Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate classes so that a broad range of students are exposed to high level classes.

In 2006, Apex High students averaged 1634: 564 on math, 543 on critical reading and 527 on writing. The 2006 critical reading score was an 11-point increase above the 2005 verbal score.

Principal Matt Wight arrived at Apex High this year and gives credit to his faculty for a number of initiatives. Wight said there was an emphasis on critical reading across the curriculum. Teachers were encouraging critical reading in Science and Social Studies as well as English. He said students were encouraged to take more rigorous courses. As a result, he says an increasing number of students took Advanced Placement classes where they read more challenging works This helped increase their vocabulary and strengthen critical reading skills. He said teachers have been using College Board techniques in questioning students, using question stems and foils. He says this helps students better understand the types of questions and answers to multiple-choice questions.

In 2006, Cary High students averaged 1609: 554 on math, 538 on critical reading and 517 on writing. The 2006 math score was a 16-point increase above the 2005 math score.

Principal David Dennis said the increase was due to the great work of Cary High's math teachers and students. Dennis said students were successful on the state End of Course exams with 93 percent of Cary High students taking math courses scoring at or above grade level. He said the state's Standard Course of Study is a minimum for instruction and teachers look at ways to help students go beyond those skills. He said math teachers meet regularly looking for ways to help students improve their math skills.

WCPSS and other North Carolina school systems
The average SAT score for Wake seniors in 2006 was 1576. WCPSS scores were significantly higher than similar large North Carolina school districts. Charlotte Mecklenburg students' scores averaged 1476; Durham, 1462; and Guilford, 1476.

2005 math and verbal vs. 2006 math and critical reading
In comparing combined math and verbal scores from 2005 with combined math and critical reading scores from 2006, average scores were down for WCPSS, North Carolina and the U.S. WCPSS seniors averaged 1066 in 2006 compared with the WCPSS record of 1075 set by students in 2005.

In North Carolina, students averaged 1008 in 2006 compared with students' 2005 scores of 1010. In the U.S., students averaged 1021 in 2006 compared with students' 2005 scores of 1028.

In 2006, WCPSS seniors average score was 1066, 45 points above the U.S. average and 58 points above the North Carolina average.

WCPSS seniors averaged 1066 in 2006 compared with a score of 995 by Charlotte-Mecklenburg students, 994 by Guilford students and 987 by Durham students.

WCPSS had 5,237 students take the SAT in 2006 compared with 4,506 students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, 2,923 in Guilford and 1,243 in Durham.

SAT
The SAT is a national exam offered through the College Board. The exam is designed to measure a student's chance of success at the college level.

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