A recent news release by the Indiana Department of Education revealed that the SAT scores for the class of 2008 remained flat in comparison to scores nationwide and in Indiana last year.
Indiana's average scores on the college entrance exam showed a one-point gain in math (508), a two-point drop in writing (481), and a one-point drop in reading (496) making the combined average score 1485. This is a one point increase from last year's scores and 26 points behind the national average SAT scores of 1511. Despite these numbers, workers in the Indiana Department of Education remain optimistic.
"You see, 62 percent of Indiana students take the SAT every year," IDE communication specialist, Avon Waters said. "The national percentage of students taking the SAT is only 42 percent. Any statistics expert will be able to tell you that the odds are against us. The more students you have taking the test, the more likely it is that your average scores will be weighed down a bit."
However the department has not been merely searching for scapegoats. IDE has implemented a series of measures in order to increase these scores.
"With our new programs, teachers are able to sign in online to programs offered by the department which will help teachers of all grades assess their students' progress in regards to their learning." Waters said.
The department is not only offering programs that assist teachers in documenting the progress of their students, it is requiring that all high school students achieve the minimum of a Core 40 diploma.
"Students who take advantage of challenging courses and related preparation opportunities perform better on the SAT and in college," Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said in a press release. "Indiana has made this a priority by requiring our rigorous Core 40 curriculum for all students, paying PSAT fees for all 10th graders, providing students customized SAT study plans and offering workshops to help educators analyze their students' test results."
In addition to a series of state organized implementations, Indiana has been selected out of six other states for the Differentiated Accountability program. A supplementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, the program aims at creating a more nuanced system in distinguishing between schools that need drastic intervention and schools that are close to meeting their academic goals. It targets the top 50 schools in need of assistance and helps that school system move around resources in order to target specific areas of need.
Despite all the optimism administrators share, this attitude does not seem to be reciprocated by the students.
"I took a two-week SAT course that was offered by the school and found it to be mildly helpful." senior telecommunications major Michael Kujawski said.
Kujawski was a high school student around the time of the budget cuts that caused so many of the art and music programs to disappear.
"I think this led to a lot of apathy for many students, and when you cease to care about high school, then doing well on a standardized test hardly fazes you," he said.
Other students said they barely received any SAT assistance or an education that would prepare them for such a rigorous test as a result of the budget cuts.
"I did not find my schooling difficult or stimulating at all," freshman theater major Marissa Neel said. "They also never offered any SAT prep courses, and if they did then they weren't heavily advertised or promoted."
The requirement of the Core 40 diploma as a default diploma has been in effect since 2007 and Waters said he feels the future looks bright for Indiana high school graduates in the next few years.
"The problem is that most people don't recognize the need for more rigorous courses," he said, "but we are lucky to see that most high schoolers are understanding the necessity of a college education. Most kids want good jobs and they know that the only way to do that is to receive a college degree."
Waters said he hoped Indiana would see an increase in the average SAT scores and more college graduates with the assistance of national and local programs.
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