Measuring High School Academic Quality
Derek J. Keenan, EdD
Vice President, Academic Affairs, ACSI
The National Merit Scholarship examinations are a strong measure of the degree to which schools are preparing students for college entrance. The review of ACSI schools in 2007 reveals, for example, that 3 schools provided a total of 13 semifinalists (5, 4, and 4) and that 9 schools had 3 semifinalists. In 18 states, no ACSI school had a semifinalist. Texas had 13 semifinalists, followed by Tennessee and Washington, which had 9 each. California had 8, and Florida and North Carolina had 6 each. Overseas ACSI schools had a total of 7 semifinalists.
The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) notes that in 2006 “the average SAT writing score for public school students was 492, compared to 528 for students in religious schools and 550 for those in independent schools. On the verbal section of the test, public school students had an average score of 500, religious school students 531, and independent school students 544. The math scores were 514 public, 529 religious, 573 independent” (2006).
The chart below indicates the annual numbers of merit semifinalists in ACSI schools since 2000 (we have not compiled the data from 2008).
The scores from the tests indicate a pattern showing that about 2 percent of the ACSI high school enrollment in grades 11 or 12 scores at the semifinalist level. The scores needed to reach the semifinalist level vary from state to state; the top 2 percent from each state achieves the semifinalist ranking. The average (mean) scores in 2007 were 502 for critical reading and 515 for mathematics. The writing scores from tests administered since 2006 were 494.
Some of the data from the College Board (2008) indicate that the total number of test takers was 1,518,859 in 2008. About onethird of test takers were juniors, and about two-thirds were seniors. In critical reading, 24,569 students scored between 750 and 800, and there was nearly an even distribution between males and females at the top level. In mathematics, 40,466 students scored at the top level, 26,610 being male and 13,854 being female.
There is a general indication that higher family incomes correlate with higher scores. This correlation seems to be reflected in the lower scores in the urban centers and of minority students. Asian students are the exception, who tended to score 77 points higher than the mean of 1017 as a combined reading and mathematics score. Students having family incomes of between $100,000 and $120,000 had a combined mean of 1056 (College Board 2008).
When course work is correlated to College Board scores, there is a clear correlation between scores and years of study. More than four years of English and language arts provided data that show a 17-point gain in critical reading (522) and a 22-point increase in writing scores (516). Honors courses in language arts yielded the significantly higher mean score in critical reading of 557, and a study of British literature yielded a mean of 525, or 23 points higher than the overall reading mean of 502 (College Board 2008).
In mathematics, calculus course work connected to the highest mathematics scores, yielding a mean of 565, compared with the overall mean of 515. Advanced Placement students averaged 560 on mathematics. There was a significant difference in mathematics scores on the SAT for students who had not taken at least precalculus (College Board 2008).
What are the implications of these data for ACSI schools? Christian schools are schools, and they should be good schools. Good schools are rigorous schools, and rigorous academic programs beget results. In the challenging economy that parents are facing, one of the significant reasons for them to stay enrolled in our schools is results.
References
CAPE. 2006. CAPE notes. CAPE Outlook, no. 317 (September): 4. http://www.capenet.org/pdf/Outlook317.pdf.
College Board. 2008. 2008 college-bound seniors: Total group profile report. http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/Total_Group_Report.pdf.
Measuring Up 12.3