District outpaces most state and national averages on SAT & ACT

District student average scores on the SAT and ACT college-readiness assessments continue to outpace Texas and the nation, according to results from these two well-known and widely taken tests.

According to 2013 District Summary information, SBISD students averaged 1516 on the combined SAT, while the Texas student average was 1437 and the national average was 1498.

The SAT assesses student reasoning and logic based on knowledge and skills that students develop in their course work.

More than 1,400 district students took SAT tests last school year.

This test has three parts – critical reading, mathematics and writing. SBISD students outpaced state and national scores in the verbal and math portions o f the SAT.

SBISD’s average writing score was 489, while the Texas average was 461 and the national writing average was 488.

In mathematics, SBISD’s average score was 533 versus 499 in the state and 514 in the nation.

SBISD’s critical reading score was 494, much higher than 477 in Texas, but slightly less than the national average of 496. On the 2013 ACT, SBISD students averaged 23.4 compared to 20.9 in both Texas and the nation.

In addition, the percentage of SBISD students performing at or above college-ready levels continues to exceed state rates by 14 to 24 percentage points, with college algebra exceeding state performance by the largest margin in six years (72 percent in SBISD compared to 48 percent in Texas).

Other Selected Highlights: 2013 SAT:

• About 70 percent of the SBISD graduating class took the SAT, and student participation increased by almost 10 percent.
• More than one-third of SBISD students (35 percent) taking the SAT reported family income of less than $30,000, a 5-year high in the participation level at this income level.
• Two student groups, Hispanics/Latinos and Mexican/Mexican American had the greatest increases in student SAT testing, 39 percent and 18 percent respectively.
• Mathematics and critical reading continue to be the strongest performance areas.
• SBISD girls and boys outperformed the state in all three areas tested, while district boys also outperformed the nation in all three areas tested.
• Hispanic students in SBISD outperformed their Texas peers in mathematics. All other student groups outperformed Texas and national student groups in mathematics.

2013 ACT:

• SBISD continues to exceed state averages by 2 to 3 points, and in the past five years, ACT participation has increased 9 percent from 863 to 939 students.
• The percentage of SBISD students performing at or above college-ready levels continues to exceed state rates by 14 to 24 percentage points, with college algebra showing the greatest margin in the past six years.
• College English composition is the strongest of four subjects tested, with 75 percent of SBISD students performing at or above the college-ready level, and 14 percentage points above the state average.
• SBISD students performed at or above the college-ready level in four tested areas, and district students performed 19 percentage points above the Texas performance rate.
• Students with three or more years of math, or three years of science as well as physics or more, outperformed the state average for similar students.