Taking The Test

Howard County's 1998 high school senior class scored 10 points higher on the SAT than the previous class, averaging 1,084 out of a possible 1,600 points.Students scored 535 on the verbal portion of the exam, a six-point improvement, and 549 on the math portion, four points higher. Howard's average was 70 points above the state's combined average of 1,014 points, and its scores were the highest in the Baltimore region, according to test results released yesterday."I think it's a positive reflection on our students," said school board member Linda L. Johnston.

While Baltimore County continued to see an increase in the number of its graduating seniors taking the SAT, the mean scores went down by 10 points overall compared to the previous year, according to results released recently. More than half the graduates in 2010 took the SATs and the mean combined SAT score for the writing, critical reading and math tests was 1487, below both the state and national mean score. Statewide, the combined score went up 5 points to 1502, and the national average of 1509 was unchanged.

Bear in mind: a Stallion is a Colt that grew up. A Stud is a Colt that was put to pasture.The rise in SAT scores is caused by: (A) Brighter kids; (B) Fewer taking the test; (C) Improved sales of gimmicks for score improvement; or (D) Cyclical sun spots. Choose one.Quick, every one, fly to Cleveland. Never mind whether you want to go. It's such a bargain to get there.They let just about anybody onto Martha's Vineyard these days.

Significantly more Anne Arundel County high school students are taking Advanced Placement tests, but a smaller proportion of them are scoring high enough on the rigorous exams to earn college credit, according to numbers released by the school system. The number of students who took AP tests in the spring jumped 22 percent, but the percentage scoring 3 or higher on the 5-point scale fell at 11 of the 12 high schools. The data released last week reflect the school system's effort to boost the number of college-level courses offered and the enrollment in them, along with critics' concerns that unprepared students are forcing teachers to water down the material.

The average score increased 15 points for Carroll students who took the Scholastic Assessment Test this year, and the numbers went up at four of the county's five high schools.But at all schools in Carroll, a smaller percentage of students took the test, which could skew the figures upward, said Judith Backes, supervisor of testing."When you have a decrease in test-takers, you often have a rise in scores," Backes said. "Students who are not as well prepared often don't take the test."Still, she said the 15-point rise is significant.

Maryland education officials said yesterday they are confident real gains are being made in state pupils' reading skills, and that their scores on the latest national reading assessment test were not inflated by excluding more special education students from taking it."Our reading gains are modest, but we believe that they are real," said Ronald A. Peiffer, assistant superintendent for the Maryland Department of Education, noting the state's reading tests show similar gains.The average score for Maryland fourth-graders taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Tens of thousands of students across Maryland took the all-important High School Assessments this week, but missing among the test takers were some of those less likely to pass. After schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick issued a "clarification" of state regulations last March, at least one major school system in Maryland decided to let students who are failing a course opt out of that test until they can pass the course. The move, some education advocates say, could make pass rates on the test look better than they actually are at a time when there is public pressure to get rid of the high school assessments as a graduation requirement beginning in 2009.

While Howard County student scores continue to soar above state and national averages on college prep tests, African-American teens still score lower than all other racial groups and most don't take the tests, according to a report presented to the Board of Education during its meeting yesterday. "I fear they are not rising to the challenge," said board member Patricia S. Gordon, adding that finding a way to reinforce the importance of rigorous course work is paramount to raising black student achievement.

The Educational Testing Service, creators of the examinations that give Americans the jitters -- the SAT, GRE, PSAT -- today takes a major step toward eliminating the standardized paper and pencil test with the introduction of a new computerized version of the Graduate Record Examination.Though paper and pencil will remain an option for now, by the 1996-97 school year all 400,000 students who take the GRE each year for admission to graduate school will do it on a computer.Instead of sitting in a room with hundreds of people on one of five annual test dates, students will be able to go to a computer center and take the GRE on any of several days during the week, for a total of more than 150 days a year.

Howard County high school seniors maintained the district's all-time high performance on the national SAT examination for a second year, and also topped the state with their high composite score of 1,084. Results released yesterday showed that although last year's seniors dropped 2 points, to 534, on the test's verbal section, they increased their math scores by 2 points, to 550, keeping the average score the same as the class before them - which at the time was the system high. Superintendent John R. O'Rourke called the overall results "gratifying."

Tens of thousands of students across Maryland took the all-important High School Assessments this week, but missing among the test takers were some of those less likely to pass. After schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick issued a "clarification" of state regulations last March, at least one major school system in Maryland decided to let students who are failing a course opt out of that test until they can pass the course. The move, some education advocates say, could make pass rates on the test look better than they actually are at a time when there is public pressure to get rid of the high school assessments as a graduation requirement beginning in 2009.

In Maryland and across the country, high school seniors got much lower scores on their SATs last academic year - perhaps, officials say, because the new test is longer and fewer students were willing to take it twice to improve their results. The average combined verbal and math score went down 7 points nationwide - the largest single-year drop in three decades - and 11 points in Maryland. The state's decline is attributed to a significant increase in the number of students, especially from Baltimore, who were enrolled in less-rigorous courses when they took the test.

Scores on Maryland's high school end-of-course tests increased significantly this year, pleasing officials who had predicted a spike in performance once the exams were linked to graduation. Students in 20 of the state's 24 districts improved scores on all four of the tests in English, biology, government and algebra. Nevertheless, four in 10 Maryland students failed the exams - which will be required for graduation with the class of 2009. Fifty-three percent of the state's high school students passed the English test, a surge of 13 percentage points over 2003.

Despite a slight drop in their SAT scores, Carroll County students continued to outperform other test-takers statewide and nationally, earning a combined average of 1,037 points out of a possible 1,600 on the college-entrance exam. Statewide, the 2004 class of high school seniors posted slightly better SAT scores than last year's seniors and Maryland students also showed a modestly higher rate of improvement than the rest of the nation. Scores in the Baltimore region were a mixed bag. They increased in the city and in Anne Arundel and Howard counties, but dropped in Harford, Carroll and Baltimore counties, according to local school officials who hastened yesterday to analyze data as it was being made public by the College Board, which administers the SAT. Montgomery County led all counties in Maryland by earning the highest combined score of 1,102.

While Howard County student scores continue to soar above state and national averages on college prep tests, African-American teens still score lower than all other racial groups and most don't take the tests, according to a report presented to the Board of Education during its meeting yesterday. "I fear they are not rising to the challenge," said board member Patricia S. Gordon, adding that finding a way to reinforce the importance of rigorous course work is paramount to raising black student achievement.

MANY INVESTORS shoulder huge financial decisions, from how to fund a retirement that can last several decades to how to pay for a child's college education that could cost in the six figures. Still, when it comes to knowing financial basics that could help them reach those goals, many people get a failing grade. The latest evidence of this is a test on investment terms and the basics of markets and mutual funds given to 1,000 investors by the Vanguard Group and Money magazine. The average score was 40 percent, up from 37 percent on a similar test two years ago. The majority of test takers didn't know how much one could contribute each year to an individual retirement account, the impact of expenses on mutual fund performance and which investment has offered the best protection against inflation over the long haul.

The Educational Testing Service, creators of the examinations that give Americans the jitters -- the SAT, GRE, PSAT -- today takes a major step toward eliminating the standardized paper and pencil test with the introduction of a new computerized version of the Graduate Record Examination.Though paper and pencil will remain an option for now, by the 1996-1997 school year, all 400,000 students who take the GRE each year for admission to graduate school will do it on a computer.Instead of sitting in a room with hundreds of people on one of five annual test dates, students will be able to go to a computer center and take the GRE on any of several days during the week, for a total of more than 150 days a year.

In Maryland and across the country, high school seniors got much lower scores on their SATs last academic year - perhaps, officials say, because the new test is longer and fewer students were willing to take it twice to improve their results. The average combined verbal and math score went down 7 points nationwide - the largest single-year drop in three decades - and 11 points in Maryland. The state's decline is attributed to a significant increase in the number of students, especially from Baltimore, who were enrolled in less-rigorous courses when they took the test.

Howard County high school seniors maintained the district's all-time high performance on the national SAT examination for a second year, and also topped the state with their high composite score of 1,084. Results released yesterday showed that although last year's seniors dropped 2 points, to 534, on the test's verbal section, they increased their math scores by 2 points, to 550, keeping the average score the same as the class before them - which at the time was the system high. Superintendent John R. O'Rourke called the overall results "gratifying."

The SAT scores for Carroll County's high school seniors fluctuated only slightly last school year while still remaining about 20 points ahead of state and national averages. The average math score for Carroll's Class of 2001 rose 5 points from the previous year's average, to 526, while the average verbal score slid 1 point, to 511. "Historically, when we look at our five-year trends, we're fairly consistent," Gregory J. Bricca, supervisor of accountability and assessment for the Carroll school system, said Friday at a news conference to release the test results.