From: Cayata Dixon -------------------- Illinois scores soar to SAT's top ranks -------------------- By Stephanie Banchero and Noreen Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporter Meg McSherry Breslin contributed to this report August 29, 2001 Illinois' SAT scores are rising at the fastest clip in the country, increasing 6 percent over the last decade and boosting the state to fifth place on the college-entrance exam from 10th. The data, released by SAT officials Tuesday, mirrors the state's recent gains on the other major college exam, the ACT. Illinois was one of only seven states in the nation that improved on the ACT last year, and students here snared the largest portion of perfect scores. The state's public high school students also posted the highest scores on the rigorous Advanced Placement tests last school year, according to Tuesday's data. It was the second year in a row Illinois achieved that feat. Theories abound on what is boosting test scores. Some say schools are doing a better job preparing students for college, even in the elementary grades. They point to better classroom teaching and the state's reform efforts. But New Trier High School Principal Wesley Baumann attributes much of it to students who are working harder than ever to post good scores because they know the competition to elite colleges is fierce. "These students know they won't be considered unless they have good test scores and a number of AP classes to attract admission officers' attention," he said. Last year's graduating class posted an average total score of 1,165 on the verbal and math portions of the SAT, which is 66 points, or 6 percent, higher than Illinois' score in 1991. Across the nation, the average bump was just 21 points, or about 2 percent. Prepping for test Elizabeth Goldschmidt, a senior at New Trier, landed a perfect SAT score of 1,600 and three perfect 5s on AP tests. The Glencoe 17-year-old said she worked hard in the classroom and took a private test prep course for the verbal portion of the SAT. "I didn't prepare [too much] because I thought my course work took care of it," she said. "I guess I was having a good day." Jon Slowik, a junior at northwest suburban Wheeling High School who scored two 5s on AP tests, attributed his success to after-school test-prepping. "I'm looking at colleges; I want tougher classes and good grades," said Slowik, who is eyeing Cornell University and MIT. Students across the country averaged 506 on the SAT's verbal portion last year, 1 point higher than the year before. The average score on the math section was 514, identical to a 30-year high the previous year. Scores on each section of the SAT range from 200 to 800. Despite the flat numbers nationwide, scores in Illinois jumped a whopping 11 points--or 9.5 percent--from one year to the next. Not all take SAT Just 12 percent of Illinois high school students elected to take the SAT in the last school year, compared with 45 percent throughout the country. The majority of Illinois high school juniors and seniors--about 71 percent--took the ACT, commonly required by colleges in the Midwest. Illinois now ranks 12th on the ACT, but the state's score is improving at one of the fastest rates in the country. On the Advanced Placement tests, which allow students to earn college credits in various academic subjects, Illinois public school students posted a composite score of 3.25, the highest in the country. That figure does not include the performance of private school students, which is not yet available. The tests are scored from 1 to 5, and college credit is given for a 3 or higher. For some school districts, especially those in the Chicago region, prepping students for AP tests and college entrance exams is a high priority. Officials at Wheeling High School, for instance, work with middle schools to identify gifted students and track them into advanced classes early on. Other schools, such as Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire and Hinsdale Central High School, encourage all students to take AP courses. To prepare them, Stevenson provides prep courses during the summer and tutoring programs throughout the year. At Wheeling, teachers hold weekend study sessions and some speed up classroom learning and leave an extra month for test review. Schools changed focus Some education officials, including Dianne Ashby, dean of the education school at Illinois State University, said the higher test scores are partly the result of the state's 1985 education reform law, which spurred school leaders to focus more directly on student progress and classroom teaching. "Before that, it was all about buses and budgets," said Ashby, who has researched the impact of state-mandated reforms on the classroom. "There's an intensive effort to align curriculum and assessment, examine student performance and feed that data back into the decisions we're making. We're starting to finally reap the benefits of those efforts." Copyright (c) 2001, Chicago Tribune -------------------- Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune Today! Good Eating, Your Place, and TV Week -- just a few reasons to get the Chicago Tribune at home every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Subscribe by calling 1-800-TRIBUNE (1-800-874-2863) or online at chicagotribune.com/subscribe -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
