Comparing suburban school districts by ACT & SAT Scores (Montgomery: best schools, university)

[JefferyT]

As a quick way of comparing suburban and exurban school districts here is a collection of ACT and SAT test scores. These tests are usually taken by college-bound seniors and are used for college admissions. They supposedly test how prepared a student is for college (or his or her aptitude, as I think SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test). From what I recall the ACT tests verbal and math, but also had parts for social studies and science (I guess measuring what you learned in high school). SAT just tested verbal and math skills.

The sources for all this is the Ohio department of education “school district report card” for the 2007/2008 school year. I used all the districts in Montgomery County plus nearby districts in neighboring counties, the ones that are more suburban and exurban. I didn’t use any from rural Preble County to the west.

I also show the regional mean, or average for the various tests and participation percentages. This is the average of the school districts I looked at. So you can compare what district is above or below the metro average. I don’t know the Ohio or US average for these tests.

ACT

First, the districts ranked by the mean (average) ACT score, highest to lowest. One district, Bethel Twp, didn’t report any scores. This is the average score of graduating seniors who took the test in 2007/2008



Next , participation in the test. Not every graduating senior takes these tests. One would guess the seniors who plan on going on to college are the ones who take the ACT and SAT, so this is an indirect measure on how “college bound” the graduating class is. I also show the test score, too. The districts with the most graduating seniors taking the ACT are at the top....



SAT

The SAT is a different test, so the scores are different. And there are more suburban districts that didn’t report scores, so a narrower pool.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3776000723_45ef3194d0_o.jpg (broken link)

And, as in the ACT, the participation rates, which can be quite low for this test, compared to the ACT. I think the SAT is more important if one is trying to get into a private college or an Ivy League school, and it’s a tougher test, so perhaps only the best academic performers in a district take it.



Finally, a different way to visualize this. I use the ACT scores since theres more of them. I plot the average participation % and test score as ground zero, and then plot the different districts using these coordinates. So, one can see which district falls in which quadrant. The districts that have high participation and high scores are probably the best ones if ones’ kids are college bound, since their peers are academically oriented to college since so many of them are taking the test, and doing “above average” when they take it.

[wrightflyer]

Interesting information Jeffery. Well put toghether.

One question that crossed my mind. How do you compare schools where a graduating senior takes only one of the two college entry exams? Thus, the numbers would appear deflated at school A because 2/3 of students take the ACT and only 1/3 take the SAT or vice versa as opposed to school B that "requires" (forces?) their kids to take both tests. What would make this data even more solid is if the state of Ohio required every student to take either the ACT or the SAT in order to graduate as Gov. Strickland wants to do. Also, do community colleges such as Clark State and Sinclair require these exams? That may be a factor as graduates who go on to these schools won't take the exam until they are ready to leave the community college for a larger, four-year university.

[Daytonnatian]

Nice, Jeffery. Great info you put out there to clear up misconceptions once and for all.

Anyways, since I have connections to the Bethel School District, I'll fill in the blanks for you there:

Avg. ACT - 21, next year should go up to 23
Participation Rate - about 60%


Yeah, the distrcit really stacks up poorly, despite how well it does on Ohio's standards (the 27 benchmarks or whatever) and the OGT.

[Crew Chief]

Interesting reading, JefferyT; many thanks! As the spouse of a teacher, I'm frustrated that there are no statistics that show which districts have the most disinterested students and apathetic parents...

[JefferyT]

^
You can have the best facilities and teachers but it will be all for naught if the student is a) dumb or b) not motivated. Actually not even dumb because dumb or not-too-bright students can improve their performance with hard work, and it takes motivation for that, from both the student and his or her parents.

As for the SAT scores I might put together a graph like I did for the ACTs. In any case perhaps this info will be a help for people reading this board to get a feel of the performance of the various districts in the metro area.

[JefferyT]

to bump for new posters curious about school district performance.

[dayton_ohio]

Good data. I missed this the first time you posted it.

Another way to show the data would be a little more complex, but combine results from both tests on one chart. On one axis, you could plot the average of the standard deviations from the mean score on each of the ACT and SAT test. On the other axis, you could plot the average of the percentage of students taking each test. The best schools would show a high percentage of students taking both tests and high schools relative to the mean on both tests.

Regardless, interesting information.

[5flags]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

to bump for new posters curious about school district performance.

Thanks. I missed it before, too.

[nickolaseposter]

Go Butler Aviators!

[JefferyT]

bump