SAT remains benchmark of student assessment

School administrators can say all they want about what impact the Scholastic Aptitude Test has on a student's chances of being admitted to the college or university of his of her choice.

But the fact of the matter is, the SAT remains the benchmark in terms of student assessment and educators would do well to see scores improve in their respective districts.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently released a report in which SAT scores in districts statewide were compared to the state and national averages. Some districts in Westmoreland County exceeded national and state averages, while others exceeded the state mark but fell below the national average. Some districts in Westmoreland County, along with all six districts in Fayette County scored lower than both the state and national averages.

The report brought out mixed reactions from administrators, who acknowledged the SAT is an important tool in assessing students' abilities and plays a substantial role in gaining admission to colleges and universities.

But they pointed out that there are other factors that determine if a student gets into a particular institution of higher learning: high school transcripts, activities participated in during high school and letters of recommendation.

Those factors, indeed, play a part in the college admissions process. But none are more important than the SAT scores.

Moreover, as the benchmark for academic achievement nationwide, the SAT effectively gauges the quality of education being offered from state to state and district to district. SAT scores reflect poorly, or favorably, on individual school districts, despite what administrators might say.

Certainly a family moving into an area is going to settle in a district which has proved its students can score well on the SAT and other standardized tests. And in a broader sense, new business and industry would certainly take into consideration the overall quality of education provided by the local school district before making the decision to set up operations there.

Just as school districts should strive to provide a wide variety of courses and extracurricular activities, which help create well-rounded young adults, they should strive to teach their students to a degree by which they can perform at an above-average level on important tests like the SAT. Taken collectively, those efforts will provide our youngsters with the best chance to succeed.