Glynn County School district makes significant improvements on SAT, ACT

Newly released data from the Georgia Department of Education proves, once more, that students in Glynn County Schools are better prepared for academic achievement beyond high school.  According to the latest SAT results, Glynn County Schools surpassed both the national and state averages with a mean score of 1054 in comparison to the national mean of 1039 and state mean of 1048.

“These results are indicative of the rigor and preparations that our students receive from their educational experiences in our school system. It again proves that an education from Glynn County Schools is second to none,” said Glynn County Schools Superintendent Dr. Virgil Cole.

However, Glynn County Schools did experience a slight decrease in scores, which mirrored similar decreases across the state and nation.

In evidence-based reading and writing (ERW), Georgia students outperformed the nation by nine points, recording a score of 533 compared to the national average of 524.  Locally, Glynn County Schools outpaced both the state and nation with a composite score of 543, down one point from last year.

In math, however, the school system’s composite score of 511 fell behind the state and national average of 515. (Last year, the school system had a composite score of 519 compared to the state’s average of 517 and national average of 520.) Among school systems in First District RESA, Glynn County Schools had the fourth highest median score in the SAT.

“The 2019 Cohort Report for SAT reveals there are similar results from 2018. Some 20 percent of students scored within the 75th percentile, while the majority of testers fared well within the 50th percentile for the nationally normed assessment,” said Dr. Valerie Whitehead, executive director of strategy and innovation for Glynn County Schools.

“While it is not recommended to compare results from year to year due to inherent differences among student groups testing, combining the average composite with self-reported data about coursework completed prior to testing can help schools review cohort performance and include the information in educational planning,” she continued.

At Brunswick High, 176 students took the SAT and earned a composite score of 1009 – 519 on the ERW and 490 on math. Conversely, 227 Glynn Academy students scored a mean average of 1089, with a 562 on the ERW and 527 on the math portion.

Georgia’s SAT participation rose to 67 percent of public-school graduates in the class of 2019, up from 66 percent in 2018 and 59 percent in 2017.

Of that percentage, 403 high school graduates in Glynn County took the new SAT during high school – approximately 43 percent of test takers earned scores between 1000-1190; about 18 percent earned scores between 1200-1390; and nearly 2 percent earned scores in the 1400-1600 bracket.  (It is important to note that if a student took the SAT more than once, the most recent score was summarized.)

State School Superintendent Richard Woods is pleased to see Georgia well above the national average even as participation in the SAT increases.

“For the second year, our students beat the national average on a test that was once used to label Georgia as ‘last in the nation’ in education. In the same year, they recorded an all-time high graduation rate and increases in NAEP and Georgia Milestones scores,” Woods said in a press release. “I’m feeling optimistic about the future of public education in Georgia, and grateful for our educators and students who make it possible.”

The old SAT test had a maximum score of 2400 and included sections in math, critical reading and writing. Those three sections were each worth up to 800 points.  The new test’s maximum score is 1600. The two required sections are math and reading/writing. Both sections are worth up to 800 points.

In terms of the ACT, which has a score range of 1-36, Glynn County Schools’ composite score of 20.5 is slightly behind the national and state averages – 20.7 and 21.4, respectively.  Although, the score, which factors in results from the English, math, reading and science components, has increased by two-tenths of a point since last year, showing positive results for both high schools while identifying specific areas for improvement.  This year, Brunswick High’s individual score has increased to 19.1, up from 18.6 last year, while Glynn Academy’s average has risen to 21.5, up from 21.4 in 2018.

Digging deeper into the results, Glynn County Schools was slightly below the par in two of the four subject areas compared to other districts in Georgia. Glynn County Schools received an average ACT math score of 19.8 in 2019. While it is higher than it’s 19.5 score last year, the district fell slightly behind the national and state averages of 20.4 and 20.7, respectively. In comparison to Georgia’s average of 21.2 and the national median of 20.6, ACT science scores for the district decreased from 20.4 in 2018 to 20.3 this year.

Contrarily, students in Glynn County Schools surpassed the national benchmark in reading on the ACT with a 21.8 but fell behind the state’s average of 22.2 by less than four-tenths of a point. The national median for reading in 2019 is 21.2.

“I’m extremely proud of our Georgia students – and the educators who prepare them each day – for beating the nation on the ACT once again,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.  “I want to emphasize that this is only the fourth time in state history this has been accomplished. While there is still work to be done to ensure we are offering a well-rounded education and preparing every child for their next steps after high school, Georgia’s students and teachers continue achieve unprecedented success.”

College Readiness Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject-area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50-percent chance of obtaining a B or higher, or about a 75-percent chance of obtaining a C or higher, in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.

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This is a press release from the Glynn County School District.