St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ (SMCPS) students exceeded national and state averages on the Scholastic Achievement Tests (SAT) with an average combined score of 1539 out of 2400. “With participation at an all-time high, it is evident that our students recognize the importance of this academic measure and put forth their best efforts. I am particularly pleased that our students have exceeded the performance averages at the state and national levels,” stated Dr. Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent of Schools.
The SAT includes a Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing section, and includes expanded mathematics topics such as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation. The SAT places greater emphasis on topics such as linear functions, manipulations with exponents, and properties of tangent lines. The critical reading section, formerly known as the verbal section, includes short reading passages along with the existing long reading passages. Analogies have been eliminated, but sentence-completion questions and passage-based reading questions remain. The writing section includes both multiple-choice questions and a direct writing measure in the form of an essay.
The SAT’s are typically taken by high school juniors and seniors, and are designed for students who plan to attend four-year colleges. Results of these tests are used by colleges and universities to assess a student’s academic potential for success in college and to make decisions about the admission of individual students to their programs.
St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ continues to have a large portion of its senior class take the SAT. The College Board reported that 50.0 percent of the school system’s seniors were administered the SAT while in high school.
Chopticon High School seniors also posted scores above the state and national averages. Their average critical reading score of 536, average mathematics score of 549, and average writing score of 514 amounted to a 1599 composite average. This is the highest composite average since 2009 for Chopticon High School.
Great Mills High School administered the SAT assessment to 52.7 percent of its senior class. Great Mills seniors scored a 511 average on the mathematics portion. This combined with a 494 average critical reading and a 470 average writing score gave Great Mills a 1475 composite average. This combined score eclipses their previous mark set last year by 27 points, and it is the third year in a row that Great Mills High School has posted an increase in their composite average.
Leonardtown High School seniors posted scores above the state and national averages. Over 63 percent of the senior class took the SAT. Leonardtown posted a critical reading average score of 523, a writing average score of 500, and a mathematics average score of 534, which gave Leonardtown a 1557 composit
