ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA — October 9, 2012 — DoDEA students continue their high participation rate in taking the SAT exam and continue to perform better than their national counterparts in critical reading and writing. DoDEA minority students also continue to outperform their national counterparts in all subject areas assessed.

For 2012, DoDEA’s SAT participation rate was 74% (2,416 students), equal to the 74% participation rate achieved in 2011. The Nation’s 2011 SAT participation rate was 50% (1,664,479 students). DoDEA’s 2012 participation rate of 74% is among the highest in the nation.

DoDEA students’ 2012 SAT average scores in Critical Reading and Writing are higher than the national average while their score in Math is lower. The DoDEA SAT mean Critical Reading score of 503 is 7 points above the national mean score of 496 while its SAT mean Writing score of 493 was 5 points above the national mean score of 488. In the math portion of the SAT, DoDEA’s mean score was 495, unchanged from 2011, and 19 points below the national mean math score of 514.

DoDEA’s 2012 SAT mean total score increased by 4 points in comparison with 2011 while the nation’s 2012 SAT mean total score declined by 2 points in comparison with 2011. DoDEA’s mean total score on the 2012 SAT was 1491 while its mean total score on the 2011 SAT exam was 1487. The nation’s mean total score on the 2012 SAT exam was 1498, while its mean total score on the 2011 SAT exam was 1500.

The high SAT participation rate indicates that more DoDEA high school students are considering and preparing to attend college. Based on results, DoDEA will focus its efforts on developing and implementing programs and practices that prepare every student for success in college.

In School Year 2011-2012, DoDEA fielded new math curriculum in grades K-12. This implementation is showing progress in the lower grades by focusing on inquiry-based teaching and learning methods and differentiation strategies.

DoDEA continues to review its mathematics program to restructure curriculum and refine instructional practices to improve student performance in this content area. To align with current educational trends, for School Year 2012-2013, graduation requirements in mathematics were increased from three years to four years for incoming 9th graders. Over the course of the next three years, DoDEA will be introducing four new math courses designed to strengthen algebraic reasoning skills and problem-solving ability. The four new courses are; Algebraic Modeling; Financial Literacy; Engineering Applications; and Advanced Functions. To better prepare students for the 21st Century workplace, instruction will focus on inquiry-based and student-centered instructional strategies. DoDEA has adopted and will implement the Common Core State Standards in mathematics. This initiative will increase rigor in the curriculum and better align DoDEA with the other 46 states that have adopted the Common Core Standards, making transitions smoother for children moving into and out of DoDEA schools.

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In addition to focusing on student performance in mathematics on the SAT, DoDEA will:

• Establish a cross-functional SAT committee at the district level to examine actions to be taken to address SAT concerns.
• Reemphasize the use of SAT data at the school level to inform instructional practice.
• Establish accountability mechanisms to inform progress.
• Expand use of online SAT tools and incorporate them in before- and after-school activities.
• Expand the offering of SAT preparation courses as electives and before- and after-school activities.

SAT results and participation rates for the nation, DoDEA, DoDEA Americas, DoDEA Europe, and DoDEA Pacific are reported in the table below:

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Performance of African-American Students

DoDEA’s African-American students continue to perform better on the SAT overall than their national counterparts as well as in all three subjective areas assessed.

• DoDEA’s African-American students’ 2012 Mean Total Score of 1355 is 82 points higher than their peers’ national Mean Total Score of 1273 and 40 points higher than DoDEA African American students’ 2011 Mean Total Score of 1315.
• DoDEA’s African-American students’ 2012 Mean Critical Reading score of 462 is 34 points higher than the nation’s African American students’ 2012 Mean Critical Reading score of 428.
• DoDEA’s African-American students’ 2012 Mean Math score of 443 is 15 points higher than the nation’s African American students’ 2012 Mean Math score of 428.
• DoDEA’s African-American students’ 2012 Mean Writing score of 450 is 33 points higher than the nation’s African American students’ 2012 Mean Writing score of 417.

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Performance of Hispanic Students:

DoDEA’s Hispanic students continue to perform better overall on the SAT than their national counterparts as well in all of the three areas assessed.

• DoDEA’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Total Score of 1422 is 70 points higher than their peers’ national Mean Total Score of 1352 and 21 points higher than DoDEA Hispanic students’ 2011 Mean Total Score of 1401.
• DoDEA’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Critical Reading score of 484 is 36 points higher than the nation’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Critical Reading score of 448.
• DoDEA’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Math score of 467 is 5 points higher than the nation’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Math score of 462.
• DoDEA’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Writing score of 471 is 29 points higher than the nation’s Hispanic students’ 2012 Mean Writing score of 442.

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About the SAT:

The SAT Reasoning Test is a three-hour and 45 minute test that is a measure of the critical thinking skills related to successful performance in college. The SAT Reasoning Test is intended to supplement the secondary school record and other information about the student, in assessing readiness for college-level work.

For more information about the SAT Assessment, visit http://www.collegeboard.org/.