Comments (0) | |

Tuesday, Sep. 01, 2009

Bibb scores tumble, official says system audit needed

The Bibb County School system saw its average SAT score drop precipitously in figures released last week by The College Board and the Georgia Department of Education. Cathy Magouyrk, deputy superintendent of Bibb County Schools, said the system is going to have to take a closer look at the students’ math, reading and writing skills. “You have to look at the scores and ask, ‘Why?’ “ she said. The system as a whole slipped 54 points from last year, dropping from 1,330 to 1,256. Five of the six eligible schools — Howard High School was new and did not have a senior class — saw their scores decline by 35 points or more, according to a release from the school district. Westside High School dropped from 1,404 in 2008 to 1,316 this year. Northeast High School and Southwest High School earned some of the lowest scores in the state at 1,147 and 1,143, respectively. The state average was 1,460, 49 points below the national average of 1,509. Magouyrk said the SAT is a measure of critical thinking and that the school system would have to take a look at how well it teaches those skills. Right now, those skills are being taught in Advanced Placement and honors classes, but she said they needed to be taught across the system. “We need to do a system-wide audit,” she said. “Are we teaching the same thing across the system?” Magouyrk said the state implemented a new math curriculum last year, but the seniors taking this year’s exam won’t have been a part of it. The system will also examine the PSAT scores of underclassmen, hoping to learn in which areas they need to improve.