Individual schools make major strides as PW schools boost SAT scores

Seniors at Prince William County Schools boosted their combined scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) by 13 points says the latest report from the College Board. T the 2014 combined PWCS scores again exceed the national average, according to a news release from Irene Cromer, supervisor of school community relations for the county school division.

New gains powered the PWCS above the national scores in critical reading (511 compared to 497) and writing (491 compared to 487), while mathematics lagged four points under the national average of 513.

At individual schools, stellar results and improvement were common themes, according to the news release, citing

• Scores of the SAT-takers who attend Battlefield, Brentsville, Osbourn Park, and Patriot High Schools beat both the state and national averages in all three subject areas.

• Scores of the SAT-takers who attend Woodbridge High School exceeded the national averages in critical reading and writing; and

• Scores of the SAT-takers who go to Forest Park, Hylton, and Stonewall High Schools exceeded the national average in critical reading.

• Gar-Field High School SAT scores showed increases of 26 points in critical reading, 14 points in mathematics, and 14 points in writing.
Patriot High School also showed double-digit gains in all three areas, with a 14-point gain in critical reading, an 11 point gain in mathematics, and a 10 point gain in writing.

• Osbourn Park High School SAT scores went up 14 points in mathematics. Freedom High School also increased its average in mathematics.

• Forest Park, Gar-Field, Hylton, Osbourn Park, Patriot and Woodbridge increased their averages in all three areas. Battlefield High School increased its averages in critical reading and mathematics. Stonewall Jackson High School boosted its averages in critical reading and writing.

Among student subgroups: Black students outperformed peers nationally and in Virginia in all three subject areas; and Hispanic students outperformed peers nationally in all three areas.

The number of PWCS students taking the SAT rose to 3,341 in 2014. All schools except Battlefield and Stonewall increased their participation numbers, according to the news release.

The news release quoted Tim Healey, Associate Superintendent for Student Learning and Accountability, as saying, “We have made steady progress on increasing student achievement and college readiness. The overall results show gains that indicate that our students are on track for success.”

The College Board bills the SAT as the nation’s most widely used admissions test among colleges and universities, assessing knowledge and critical thinking skills students need for academic success in college. Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800, with two writing sub-scores for multiple-choice questions and an essay.