Cassia Schools SAT Scores Outpace State Average

BURLEY | Scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test have risen among Cassia County students even as statewide average scores have dropped.
Cassia children's scores rose 12.2 percent in critical reading, 11.3 percent in math and 2.9 percent in writing.
Statewide average scores in all three categories declined 2 percent.
The test measures reading, writing and math scores and provides a composite rating.
County schools officials attribute the higher scores to an increased focus on writing, a Monday early-release policy that fosters teacher collaboration and professional development and the move to Idaho Common Core.
“Teachers and staff in the last year have come to a common vision on student achievement, and we are concentrating on writing throughout all the classes,” said Kim Bedke, the district's Title 1 and federal programs coordinator.
The greater emphasis on writing is imposed in all classes, even math, agriculture and health, Bedke said.
“Writing is the key to a student’s ability to comprehend,” said Curriculum Director Sandra Miller.
The writing initiative first was tried in higher grades and recently was implemented in kindergarten through sixth grade, Miller said.
“It's really about establishing that culture of literacy," she said, "and when you have that kind of attitude of importance for writing in the teachers, the kids see and feel that and that’s when you see the change.”
Also at Cassia schools, classes are dismissed at 2 p.m. Mondays, so instructors get 1½ hours to review data on student achievement and growth, analyze it and decide on teaching tools.
Research shows that giving teachers time to collaborate is one of the best professional development activities.
“It also gives them time to share best practices with each other,” Miller said.
Teachers in each building meet Mondays, and all district instructors come together four times a year to align curriculum and teaching methods.
“It is so child-centered. It really is very powerful,” she said. “The teachers are really addressing the needs of the students and of each other as colleagues.”
Bedke said a shift in teaching methods because of Idaho Common Core probably also contributed to higher SAT scores. District teachers are embracing Idaho Common Core and “are really looking at what’s good for kids.”
“Rather than teaching them facts and how to remember them, they are teaching students how to think critically about issues,” Bedke said. “Idaho Common Core is going back to deeper thinking.”
Idaho students must take a college-entrance exam in order to graduate, said Brady Moore, spokesman for the state Department of Education.
The state has provided the tests to juniors for free every April for three years, so it's the most-used college admissions test in Idaho, said Karen Christensen, Cassia testing coordinator.
Almost all colleges use the test or others like it to decide whom to admit.
“The importance of this test is to get students thinking about college,” said Moore. “A lot of students don’t see college as an option, and the test allows them to see it as something they can do."
More students, including minorities, took the SAT nationwide this year, reports the nonprofit College Board, which helps students transition from high school to college.
Performance was stagnant. Only 43.6 percent of test takers met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark, showing that they're ready to take entry-level courses. That number hasn't changed for several years.
The benchmark remains a challenge to African-American, Latino and Native American students. Only 15.8 percent of African-American students, 23.4 percent of Latinos and 33.5 percent of Native Americans met the mark, according to the College Board.
Moore said the PSAT, a SAT practice test, also is free for Idaho students.
The College Board announced this spring that it will redesign the SAT for 2015 and try to reach more low-income students, granting four fee waivers to eligible students who take the SAT, board spokesman Zach Goldberg said.
The board and Khan Academy have formed a partnership, too, to provide free test preparation through sophisticated, interactive software for the new SAT.
In Cassia, even with the focus on writing, teacher collaboration and Common Core, it's still hard to pinpoint what initiated the growth spurt in SAT scores this year, Miller said.
“The students this year taking the test will be different from the students taking it last year. But we hold high learning expectations for our students.”
District officials will be pleased if moderate growth is maintained, she said.
“We are very proud of our students and staff and what we do as a district.”