THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1978
Page 5
Local SAT scores over average consistently above
By GAIL SMI LA
Students at Bryan High School
nd A&M Consolidated High
ichool students have consistently
[cored above average on the
cholastic Aptitude Test (SAT),
iowever, it may not be much to
oast about.
The SAT and the American Col-
]n f ege Test (ACT) tire given to high
1^'' chool seniors planning to attend a
allege or university.
Whether a student takes the SAT
or the ACT depends on the re
quirements of the college he plans
^ lo attend.
, s , Texas A&M University accepts
V 1 he SAT, and though local high
chool seniors are not required to
1 Pjj ake the test, they are told it is a
jrerequisite for admission to Texas
, A&M.
J 5 * 1 Admission to Texas A&M de-
nct nands an applicant must have
eri ® ;raduated from an accredited high
ir01111 * chool, have satisfactorily com-
pleted certain subjects, and made
“t [ in acceptable score on the SAT.
Me The subject requirements for ad-
nission to the University are de
igned to insure adequate prepara-
on for various curricula offered by
exas A&M.
The subject requirements in-
:lude: four hours of English, three
lours of social sciences, and three
lours of mathematics, including
Igebra and geometry, two hours of
cience, including chemistry and
evert »iology. Four hours of electives are
Iso required .
The SAT measures basic English
omprehension and mathematical
ibility. Generally, applicants scoring
Wk '00 points or better on the SAT are
na^qdmitted to Texas A&M.
Dr. C.B. Jones, director of re-
earch and evaluation at the Educa-
ional Services Center, said the SAT
a gauge of how well a student has
lone in his high school career and a
redictor of his success at college.
STUDENTS ARE not necessar-
!y encouraged to take the SAT, but
ve do make them aware of the feet
his s( liat if they plan to attend a univer-
he pj! ity, they should take it,” Jones said.
The national average for 1977-78
ollege-bound students was 429
oints for verbal skills and 470
•oints for mathematic skills.
However, average scores for the
igh schools in the Bryan-College
tation area ranked higher than the
ational average in both verbal and
W iathematic skills.
At Bryan High School, 210 of 510
eniors took the SAT last year. Their
yerage score was 433 points for
erbal skills and 468 points for
nathematic skills.
Similarly, 112 of approximately
seniors at Consolidated High
hool.-scored an average, of 451
leri
iiiiii .
points for verbal skills and 512
points for mathematic skills on last
year’s SAT.
There have been various expla
nations about the cause of a decline
in national scores last several years.
THE LAUNCHING of the Sput
nik in the late 1950s sparked an in
creased emphasis on science and
mathematics. English, while not
neglected, at the same time was not
stressed.
In the 1960s, “schools were thrust
towards integration of people with
different value systems, and test
scores began to decline,” Jones said.
He added that schools began to
concentrate more on racial stability
and less on teaching.
Joe Wiese, Consolidated High
School counselor, said curriculum
variation could be a factor in the
declining national scores. He said
high school course options in high
schools have been widely expanded
in the past while the SAT has
changed very little. Thus students
are exposed to a greater variety
of subjects but have less time for
learning basic English and arithme
tic skills.
Also, greater emphasis on per
sonal and social goals may be a link
to declining national scores. De
veloping creativity and the attempts
to make learning a “frm” experience
has created less competition, sub
sequently causing a decrease in
achievement, Wiese said.
As with the declining national
scores, there have been a variety of
explanations for the cause of higher
SAT scores in the Bryan-College
Station area.
Wiese feels the difference is due
partly to locale. Because the schools
are located in an “academically
oriented community”, most of the
students have been reared in an
“environment geared towards
achievement,” Wiese said.
“This has been a university com
munity since 1876,” Jones said, and
added that he believes the commu
nity is “education conscious.”
JONES ALSO SAID he believes
the community is economically
stabilized by a low unemployment
ratio and the large amount of money
Texas A&M receives and injects into
the local economic system.
He also said that the low crime
rate in Bryan and College Station
may be reflected in the higher aver
age scores.
“Sometimes the greatest influ
ence on learning is what a kid brings
from home; his outside influences,”
Jones said.
Although local SAT scores in the
two high schools are above the na
tional average, Jones said he feels
the scores, both locally and na
tionally, are “not indicative of what
people know.”
“I think students coming out of
schools now know more about ev
erything than any generation in the
past. They are better educated, but
test scores have declined. It doesn’t
seem to make much sense,” Jones
said.
“ON ANY SCORE or exam,
exactly 50 percent of the people are
below the average and 50 percent
are above it. If we (Bryan High
School) are in the 55 percentile, let’s
say, that means we are above the
national average on all scores. But
even locally, 50 percent of the stu
dents in BHS or CHS taking the
SAT are below the average and 50
percent are above it,” Jones said.
Jones said it is hard to compare
SAT scores if the data used is disimi
lar. Scores should be compared only
if schools have the same “ethnic and
economic breakdown and the same
number of students.”
A comparison of Bryan and A&M
Consolidated high schools shows, in
fact, the schools are not comparable.
Bryan High had a student enroll
ment of approximately 1,850 last
year, while Consolidated had about
940 students.
Also, Bryan High had a minority
population of roughly 40 percent
compared with a minority popula
tion of less than 10 percent at Con
solidated.
AT BRYAN HIGH SCHOOL,
210 out of 510 seniors took the SAT
last year. However, almost two
thirds of Consolidated High School
seniors took the SAT in the same
time period.
“If you want to prove that areas
with poor people, minorities, and
high crime rates do worse in schools
than areas of middle class, em
ployed people, you can do it with a
standardized test,” Jones said.
Jones said that although he
doesn’t know whether it would be
more advantageous to change cur
riculum or the scholastic aptitude
test, he does think that “norms es
tablished several years ago by test
ing companies may be a little out
dated.”
Wiese agreed that the tests may
be outdated but added that if
changes are going to be made, “we
won’t see them for the next two or
three years.”
“I do believe a school ought to
teach students what they need to
get along in life with, and it differs
from place to place,” Jones said.
“If you want to measure what a
kid knows, you need to have a test
that measures the knowledge
they’ve been trained in. If you have
a test that measures one thing and a
kid is in school learning other
things, it’s kind of like running the
100-yard dash and then testing the
kid as to whether or not he can
read,” Jones said.
WHILE SOME people think the
SAT should be replaced by a test
that measures a greater variety of
skills, others, such as Consolidated
principal Rodney LeBoeuf, believes
a stricter teaching environment
should be maintained.
LeBoeuf said he would like to see
“less freedom’’ in the classrooms
and more emphasis on “traditional
teaching of reading, writing, and
arithmetic.”
Jones said that students need to
take their education seriously, reg
uardless whether the school cur
riculum or SAT is changed.
GRAM) OPENING
Monday — 1st day of spring. What better time to gel.
your house and garden in shape with new plants from
Pals of Pride
Everything from tomato plants to rubber trees. During^
Grand Opening Week, one plant per day given away
in progresive sizes.
1903 Old Hearne Rd., Bryan
(Behind Grace’s Grocery)
********************
*
An X,
I nter nat iona I
Conference
Join over 600 International Students from
every part of the World.
When; leave Fri. afternoon March 24, return Sun. afternoon March 26
Where: Camp Lakeview Assembly Palestine, Texas
Who: accommodations for single and married students.
Why: to discover new friends, enjoy recreation, and share ideas about
religion, culture, to a better understanding of our world.
Cost: $10.00 per single student, family dependent on size.
Register Today — Call Bill Barnett 846-7722
sponsored by the ♦ «
Baptist Student Center £ m I
*
jJU 47
T
Armadillos
A real Armadillo would never bite your ankle
softly padded from head to tail,
inside and out. A real Armadillo
will not hide in your
closeted-—-it’ll
right in step with you
wherever you’re off to,
because
Areal
Armadillo
is made
only
by $32.00
^Morgan Quinii
GENTLEMAN’S QUARTER
3705 E. 29th e Bryan e 846-1706
Town & Country Center
try
“LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND”
MARCH 23, 24, 25 ^
m
8:00 p.m. ^
Forum in Rudder Center
AN EXTRA SPECIAL PRODUCTION £
^“Of the Students, by the Students, for the Students!”
*
M TICKETS 4*
^($1.75 Students $2.75 General Public^
^ Tickets being sold now at MSC Box Office 845-2916 ^
?
*
*
*
*
€
For more information call the Theatre Arts Office
845-2621
A love story
A musical
An exciting production
WITH LOVE
FROM THE AGGIE PLAYEP
%******************£
le
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loleys
Send this application to: Foley’s Credit Dept., P.O. Box 1971,
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