The state average SAT score for the 2003-04 school year rose to 1006 points—a record high for North Carolina. The boost comes a year after the state passed the 1,000-point mark for the first time, Governor Mike Easley and State Superintendent Mike Ward announced Tuesday at a news conference at Enloe High School in Raleigh.
The average SAT score for students in Durham Public Schools has also risen, reaching 1001 points. For the first time since 1991, the average DPS score has increased for three consecutive years.
In addition, more North Carolina students are taking the test than in previous years, up to 70 percent from 68 percent last year. Durham had the third highest participation rate in the state, at 78.1 percent. Although the national participation rate remains at 48 percent, the state’s average SAT score falls short of the national average of 1026, according to the governor’s release Tuesday.
“The bottom line is more North Carolina students are taking the college entry test, and more are excelling each year,” Easley said in the release.
Ann McArthur, teacher advisor to the governor, said the high North Carolina participation rate illustrates the growing interest that students have in taking the SAT and benefits from the opportunities the exam provides.
“We are especially proud of the fact that DPS continues to have one of the state’s highest participation rates, a strong indicator of our students’ plans to investigate post-secondary educational opportunities,” DPS Superintendent Ann Denlinger said in another release published Tuesday regarding Durham.
North Carolina’s achievement gap between minorities and white students suggests signs of closing. “The state’s SAT-takers have shown favorable gains in participation, especially among Hispanic students, and scores have increased,” Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, said in the release.
In Durham, Hispanic students’ average increased 18 points to 972, eight points above the state average of 964 and 56 points above the national average of 916, the Durham report said. The SAT average of black students in Durham has increased 15 points, 19 points above the state average of 847 and nine points above the national average of 857.
In spite of a decrease of seven points to 1103, white students in Durham remain 44 points above the national average of 1059, according to the report.
The release cited a reduction in class size and a greater focus on student achievement in the past few years as reasons for this year’s continued success. “The more work we do along any of these measures, the greater the achievements will be,” McArthur said.
As a third reason for the SAT score improvements, McArthur noted the importance of aligning the state and national curricula in order to provide better preparation for students.
Denlinger pointed to similar factors in the Durham release. “With the strengthened focus on middle and high school instruction that we have undertaken, we fully expect to see more of the same in the coming years,” she said.
In the release, Easley predicted that this increase in scholastic achievement will continue. “As our investments in our schools go up and class sizes go down, student achievement and SAT scores will continue to rise,” he said.
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