7 of 9 Muscogee County public high schools improve their SAT composite scores
Seven of the nine Muscogee County public high schools increased their SAT composite scores compared to last year, joining Georgia's overall improvement while the national average fell to a 10-year low.
Some of Muscogee's gains from 2014 to 2015 are substantial. Spencer made the largest leap, soaring 69 points (from 1191 to 1260), followed by increases of 60 points at Jordan (from 1204 to 1264), 59 points at Early College (1264 to 1323), 30 points at Northside (from 1375 to 1405), 30 points at Shaw (from 1279 to 1309), 26 points at Kendrick (from 1217 to 1243) and 6 points at Columbus (from 1702 to 1708).
The two Muscogee schools whose SAT composite scores sagged did so by only single digits, 9 points at Hardaway (from 1321 to 1312) and 4 points at Carver (from 1209 to 1205).
The other two local high schools made significant moves in opposite directions. Chattahoochee County jumped 55 points (from 1256 to 1311), and Harris County plummeted 48 points (from 1491 to 1443).
Georgia's average rose 5 points (from 1445 to 1450), and the national average dropped 7 points (from 1497 to 1490), the lowest since the SAT revised its college entrance exam in 2005, when the scale was change from a maximum score of 1600 to 2400.
While more than 70 percent of Georgia's 2015 high school graduates took the SAT, less than 10 percent did so in Alabama, where the ACT is the preferred college entrance exam. So the Alabama State Department of Education doesn't release the SAT scores for its schools. The Ledger-Enquirer already has reported on Alabama's 2015 ACT results.
The overall average SAT composite score in the Muscogee County School District inched up from 1429 to 1432.
"We are pleased with our continued composite score growth as evidenced in a majority of our high schools," MCSD assistant superintendent Rebecca Braaten wrote on behalf of superintendent David Lewis in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer. "Our district is closing the gap with the State and Nation in the critical areas of Reading and Math."
More students are demonstrating "college and career readiness," Braaten wrote. "This can be attributed to more students availing themselves to advanced level coursework and the work of our dedicated teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators.
Columbus High, however, the district's lone total magnet high school, meaning it doesn't have an attendance zone and can allow any Muscogee County resident who meets admission standards to attend, remains the only local high school that beats Georgia's SAT average. Columbus High also surpasses the national average.
MCSD increased its overall scores in reading (from 480 to 481) and math (from 477 to 481), but its writing score decreased from 472 to 470.
"While we are pleased that six of our nine high schools showed improvement in Writing scores, particularly Jordan High with a 41 point gain, we recognize that our overall Writing scores remain relatively stagnant," Braaten wrote. "We are committed to further closing the gap between our results and those of the State and Nation by increasing the availability of college-level content through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Enrollment coursework."
Despite the significant drop in the Harris County School District's composite score, chief information officer Jeff Branham wrote on behalf of superintendent Jimmy Martin in an email to the L-E, "Compared with other school districts with similar demographics, we scored at or above the majority of our counterparts throughout the state."
Harris County will "use the results to guide our instruction and our focus," Branham wrote. "We continue to provide course offerings that will strengthen their ability to perform well on college entrance exams, as well as their future college coursework."
Chattahoochee County superintendent David McCurry wasn't reached for comment.
Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.
SAT COMPOSITE SCORES (2400 maximum)
School 2014 2015 +/-
Carver 1209 1205 -4
ChattCo 1256 1311 +55
Columbus 1702 1708 +6
Early College 1264 1323 +59
Hardaway 1321 1312 -9
Harris Co. 1491 1443 -48
Jordan 1204 1264 +60
Kendrick 1217 1243 +26
Northside 1375 1405 +30
Shaw 1279 1309 +30
Spencer 1191 1260 +69
Georgia 1445 1450 +5
Nation 1497 1490 -7
SAT READING SCORES (800 maximum)
School 2014 2015 +/-
Carver 400 397 -3
ChattCo 429 447 +18
Columbus 559 563 +4
Early College 442 465 +23
Hardaway 454 445 -9
Harris Co. 504 487 -17
Jordan 411 426 +15
Kendrick 411 407 -4
Northside 464 478 +14
Shaw 436 445 +9
Spencer 405 424 +19
Georgia 488 490 +2
Nation 497 495 -2
SAT MATH SCORES (800 maximum)
School 2014 2015 +/-
Carver 399 410 +11
ChattCo 420 428 +8
Columbus 576 585 +9
Early College 394 419 +25
Hardaway 436 433 -3
Harris Co. 496 483 -13
Jordan 396 400 +4
Kendrick 412 426 +14
Northside 464 468 +4
Shaw 419 440 +21
Spencer 391 424 +33
Georgia 485 485 --
Nation 513 511 2
SAT WRITING SCORES (800 maximum)
School 2014 2015 +/-
Carver 410 398 -12
ChattCo 407 436 +29
Columbus 567 560 -7
Early College 428 439 +11
Hardaway 431 434 +3
Harris Co. 491 473 -18
Jordan 397 438 +41
Kendrick 394 410 +16
Northside 447 459 +12
Shaw 424 424 --
Spencer 395 412 +17
Georgia 472 475 +3
Nation 487 484-3
This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 9:08 PM with the headline "7 of 9 Muscogee County public high schools improve their SAT composite scores ."