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Editorial - August 2002 |
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Raising the bar August 30, 2002 - Lincoln County’s rising Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) 2001-2002 scores show a solid performance by all of our schools. Those scores keep rising, and that’s a trend that shows a school system that is working at every level. The administration, teachers, and especially the students can be proud of this significant achievement. The SAT tests improved over the previous year an average of 26 points. The SAT, generally taken by college-bound students, is one factor used by college admissions offices to determine placement and assesses verbal and mathematics skills. In 2001-2002, 348 Lincoln County students took the SAT, up from 315 in 2000-2001. That’s an indicator that more students are planning on college. The greatest increase was in the verbal section of the test where scores rose by an average of 17 points to 483. The math section of the test showed a nine point improvement in scores, 492 compared to 483 in 2000-2001. The countywide increase continues an upward trend in Lincoln SAT scores. In 1999-2000, scores averaged a total of 939. Scores for 2000-2001 averaged 946. The bar keeps rising, but needs to rise more. Lincoln’s scores place slightly below the 2001-2002 state total SAT average score of 998. We challenge those administrators and teachers who have been so successful during the past few years to continue their effort until our students will rise above the state average. Being average is not a worthy goal. The improvement is attributed to increased focus on SAT preparation, review courses and skills training at the county’s three high schools. If that boils down to preparing for tests, so be it. We just hope the staff at our schools understand that when students graduate from high school, they don’t go out and take a test, other than those really tough tests presented by life. The trends watchers say the employers of today are looking for better-than-average workers. That’s one reason companies continue to advertise for workers even when the number of applicants are high. Many are interviewed, few are chosen. We hope the Lincoln County schools keep raising the bar. .
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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