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Monday, the State Department of Education released the SAT scores for public high school seniors in 2010 as given by the College Board. The board also said South Carolina seniors have continued dramatic improvement on college Advanced Placement exams. Here's the release from the SC Department of Education, detailing the results: South Carolina public school seniors' average composite score for critical reading, math and writing was 1,443, down two points. The national average rose three points to 1,497. Critical reading was 482, math was 496 and writing was 465, compared to national averages for public schools of 498, 511 and 488. When all scores are included - public, private and home-schooled students - South Carolina's average declined five points (1,447) compared to no change nationally (1,509). Considerably more South Carolina public school students took the test (a 5.3 percent increase compared to a 2.1 increase nationally). Leading the increase in Palmetto State participation were Hispanic seniors, up 24.5 percent compared to 7.7 percent nationally. South Carolina's Hispanic students also significantly outperformed their counterparts nationally on all three parts of the test. In addition, 36.5 percent of the state's SAT takers said they were the first in their families to aim for college. South Carolina public schools continued their dramatic improvement on Advanced Placement tests. A total of 15,802 exams scored high enough to earn college credit, a 5.6 percent increase over last year's 14,970. The number of exams attempted rose from 26,453 to 28,763, an 8.7 percent increase and an all-time high. The percentage of exams scoring 3-5 dropped from 56.6 to 54.9. Over the last five years (2006-2010), the number of AP exam takers among South Carolina public school seniors increased by 36.6 percent, while the number of exam takers scoring 3-5 increased by 34.6 percent. The scoring gap between white and African-American students decreased by 11 points on the SAT last year, while the number of AP exam scores qualifying for college credit increased 2.5 percent for African-American students compared to 2.3 percent for white students. In the last five years, the number of AP exams taken by South Carolina African-American students in public schools went from 1,757 to 2,564, an increase of 45.9 percent. The number of African-American students scoring high enough to earn college credit was up during that same period from 548 to 725, a 32.3 percent increase. "South Carolina is doing dramatically better with access," said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. "More minority and low-income students are aiming for college than ever before, and many more of those students are taking the SAT, ACT and AP exams. "The challenge is increasing test scores at the same we increase test participation. When you get a broader cross-section of kids, you typically get lower scores. We're seeing that with SAT scores but not with ACT and AP scores, which keep improving even though more kids are taking the tests. We need to figure out how to expand our ACT and AP improvements to include SAT scores." Rex said high schools should make better use of the preliminary SAT test (PSAT), which provides useful feedback to students and educators. The state pays testing fees for either the PSAT or its ACT counterpart, PLAN, and some districts pay for the test that the state doesn't fund. Rex said PSAT and PLAN results provide data on students' academic strengths and weaknesses that can be used to improve curricula, identify students who might perform well in Advanced Placement classes and help guidance counselors work with students on skills that need extra attention. Rex noted the 129-point difference between 2010 South Carolina public school seniors who took the College Board's recommended courses before taking the SAT and those who did not. "It stands to reason that students will score better if they prepare better. That's a message that both students and parents need to hear, and guidance counselors can help with that." Top performers: Nine South Carolina districts had average SAT composite scores that exceeded the national average of 1,497 for public schools: - Anderson 1 (1,530)
- Anderson 2 (1,522)
- Barnwell 45 (1,548)
- Florence 5 (1,526)
- Lexington 1 (1,532)
- Lexington 5 (1,536)
- Pickens (1,547)
- South Carolina Public Charter School District (1,530)
- York 4 (1,577)
- Thirty-eight schools had composite scores that surpassed the national average
- South Aiken High School (Aiken) 1,538
- Wren High School (Anderson 1) 1,543
- Belton-Honea Path High School (Anderson 2) 1,522
- Barnwell High School (Barnwell 45) 1,548
- Hilton Head High School (Beaufort) 1,508
- Hanahan High School (Berkeley) 1,543
- Academic Magnet High School (Charleston) 1,882
- Charleston County School of Arts (Charleston) 1,587
- Wando High School (Charleston) 1,515
- Mayo High School Math Sci Tec (Darlington) 1,543
- Strom Thurmond High School (Edgefield) 1,568
- Johnsonville High School (Florence 5) 1,526
- Waccamaw High School (Georgetown) 1,535
- Eastside High School (Greenville) 1,535
- Greenville Tech Charter High School (Greenville) 1,604
- James L. Mann (Greenville) 1,506
- Riverside High School (Greenville) 1,590
- Aynor High School (Horry) 1,519
- Carolina Forest High School (Horry) 1,528
- Green Sea-Floyds (Horry) 1,593
- Socastee High School (Horry) 1,537
- North Central High School (Kershaw) 1,508
- Lexington High School (Lexington 1) 1,580
- Pelion High School (Lexington 1) 1,595
- Chapin High School ( Lexington/Richland 5) 1,584
- Dutch Fork High School (Lexington/Richland 5) 1,572
- Walhalla Senior High School (Oconee) 1,553
- D.W. Daniel High School (Pickens) 1,661
- Easley High School (Pickens) 1,518
- A.C. Flora High School (Richland 1) 1,553
- Spring Valley High School (Richland 2) 1,530
- Provost Academy (South Carolina Public Charter School District) 1,622
- South Carolina Virtual Charter School (South Carolina Public Charter School District) 1,551
- South Carolina Connections Academy (South Carolina Public Charter School District) 1,639
- Fort Mill High School (York 4) 1,584
- Nation Ford High School (York 4) 1,567
- SC Governor's School Science and Math 2,020
- SC Governor's School Arts and Humanities 1,699
Advanced Placement Scores - -AP courses - and the accompanying College Board exams that demonstrate mastery of the course material - let students earn college credit while still in high school. Since 1984, South Carolina has paid for AP instructional materials, paid students' test fees and offered specialized training for teachers. Every student enrolled in an AP course is required to take the test.
- -The five most-taken AP exams in 2009 were United States History, English Literature and Composition, English Language and Composition, Calculus AB and Biology.
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