SAT Math - Rigor and Scores of 700 and Above

In the 2013 administration of the SAT, a score of 700 or above in math ranked in the 93rd percentile nationwide. In Idaho, 247 students, or about 1.5% of the 16921 juniors who took the math subtest, scored a 700 or better on the School Day administration of the SAT. Scoring a 700 is rare, to say the least – most students scoring at this level have their choice of elite schools (of course, they also have high gpa’s, are involved in campus leadership activities, etc).

As has been pointed out in previous posts, a large percentage of Idaho’s student enrollment is concentrated in a few large districts. Over 50% of Idaho’s students go to school in the ten largest districts, and over a quarter of Idaho students attend in the three largest districts, Meridian, Boise, and Nampa.

The vast majority of SAT math scores of 700 and above were also in large districts, but the distribution pattern was very different.

Note that Boise had over a third of the state’s SAT math scores of 700 or better with 9% of the students. Meridian had 15% of the scores with 13% of the students, Coeur d’Alene 10% with 4%, Idaho Falls 6% with 4%, and so on.

In Coeur d’Alene, the two comprehensive high schools (Lake City and Coeur d’Alene) had 9 of the 25 students who scored 700 or better. Sixteen (16) of the students were from Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy. Interestingly, the class of 2014 at CDA Charter had 105 students in the 7th grade, but when the class took the SAT in 11th grade, only 76 remained, a 30% loss among the student population. CDA Charter students are clearly a special group which achieves at a high level.

Sixteen (16) of the 71 students (23%) at CDA Charter who took the SAT during the School Day administration scored 700 or above in math, by far the highest percentage in the state. The total group of 71 students’ average score was 628. Timberline High had 15 of 352 students (4%) score 700 or better in math, with an average of 503.

However, since CDA Charter has a select population, and Timberline High is a comprehensive high school, a better comparison would be a specialized group in the Boise District. For example, the Treasure Valley Math and Science Center uses teacher recommendations, test scores, and an application process to select students who want an accelerated math and science program, and provides a rigorous curriculum, as does CDA Charter. TVMSC is a half-day program offered at a center on the campus of Riverglen Junior High in Boise.

Thirty-three (33) class of 2014 students who were enrolled at TVMSC as 10th, 11th, and or 12th graders took the SAT as 11th graders. Twenty-one (21) of those students (64%) score 700 or better on the SAT math subtest. The total group of 33 students averaged 698 on SAT math.

Students who scored 700 or better were obviously very skilled in math and in problem-solving. However, this level of performance also requires a certain level of content knowledge in mathematics. Of the 88 Boise District students who scored 700 or above in 2013, 87 took Advanced Placement Calculus AB and/or BC as part of their high school math programs. This means that these students were enrolled in AP Calculus AB or Accelerated Math Analysis (or in a few cases AP Calculus BC) as juniors. The lone student who did not take Calculus took AP Statistics as a senior, and was enrolled in Accelerated Math Analysis as a junior.

Of course, a number of students who took Calculus did not score 700 or above in math on the SAT. So enrollment in these courses does not guarantee the highest scores. However, taking advanced math does appear to be a prerequisite for scoring at the highest levels in SAT math.

Goodbye, Old ISAT... what were the results?

In spring 2014-15, the state of Idaho will officially move from the NCLB-era Idaho Standards Achievement Tests (called herein the “old ISAT”), to the Smarter Balanced Assessments (also to be dubbed the “ISAT”).

Beginning in spring 2007, a new vendor, Data Recognition Corporation, was selected to administer the old ISAT, and a new test was delivered to Idaho students. That first year, 79.9% of Idaho students in grades 3-8 and 10 received a mark of “proficient” or “advanced” on the test. In math, the percentage was 75.8%. In 2012-13, in the final statewide administration of the old ISAT, the percentages were 89.1% in Reading and 80.9% in Math. So, then, the improvement in proficient/advanced percentages over the six years of old ISAT administration was 9.2% in Reading and 5.1% Math.

However, this comparison of proficiency rates conceals something much more important that was happening in Idaho’s public schools. If we examine just the percentages of advanced students in each year, we can see that important shift.

In old ISAT Reading, only a third of Idaho's 3-8 and 10 students scored in the “Advanced” category in 2007. By 2012, half of Idaho’s kids had reached that performance level. And, though the ISAT “advanced” level is not quite so high as that of the SAT, it’s clear that many more Idaho students reached a higher level of rigor in the time of the ISAT. In fact, almost 30,000 more Idaho students were “advanced” in 2012 than were in 2007.

In Math, though the growth was somewhat less than that made in Reading, it was still impressive. Again, only a third of Idaho students were advanced in 2007. By 2012, 45% were in that category. That’s an improvement of more than 17,000advanced students from 2007 to 2012.

The measurement criteria used under the NCLB law, which labeled schools “failing” if they did not meet “Adequate Yearly Progress” with as few as 34 students among their total populations, obscured the tremendous gains made by Idaho schools and districts during the administration of the old ISAT. Those gains were truly impressive.

Century Scholars - From Here They Can (and DO) Go Everywhere

For the past nine years, the Boise District has honored top students at Boise high schools with the Century Scholars award. These students, who have the highest weighted grade point averages (gpa) at their respective high schools, receive a medal and a certificate and are asked to choose teachers who have had a significant impact on their lives. These “distinguished educators” are honored along with the students. The ceremony typically takes place in April of each year and is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Boise.

It’s interesting to look at the characteristics of these top students in the Boise District. What follows is an analysis of the 2012-13 class of Century Scholars. This post focuses on the students from the four traditional Boise high schools.

Grades and Advanced Coursework

The eighty-four (84) students (representing the top 5% of the class of 2013) sported an average weighted gpa of 4.27. The Boise District gives credit for Advanced Placement coursework on a 5-point scale, while credit for all other classes is on a 4-point scale. The Scholars took an average of 10 Advanced Placement courses. Two students took 18 AP classes, 1 took 17, and 3 took 16. 40 of the students took Calculus AB and BC, and another 32 took Calculus AB as their capstone math course.

College Entrance Examinations and Activities

The average ACT composite score from this group was 31 (the ACT is scored on a 36 point scale) which was at the 97th percentile on the ACT scoring scale. There were three perfect ACT scores from this group, and 22 Scholars scored 33 or higher, at the 99th percentile nationwide.

On the SAT Critical Reading subtest, the average score was 645, or about the 90thpercentile nationwide. There were 5 perfect Critical Reading scores from the Scholars. In math, the average of 687 is at about the 92nd percentile, and there were 6 perfect math scores. The writing average was at 639, at the 89thpercentile. The average composite score for Century Scholars was 1971, or about the 92nd percentile. The maximum composite score on the SAT is 2400. Twelve scholars scored above 2220, at the 99th percentile.

Century Scholars participated in all sorts of school activities and classes outside of Advanced Placement – from leadership to varsity athletics, chamber and jazz orchestra to ceramics, from debate to journalism, taking full advantage of the offerings of an elite public school system.

College Destinations

In terms of post-secondary choices, Class of 2013 Century Scholars enrolled in college in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Some stayed close to home – 17 (20%) stayed in Idaho; 7 at BSU, 3 each at the University of Idaho, the College of Idaho, and Idaho State University, and one at BYU-Idaho .

The majority of Scholars chose the northwest and the western United States for their pursuits – 5 attended in Oregon, 5 in Washington, 5 in Montana, 2 in Colorado, 11 in California, 6 in Utah, and 4 in Arizona. Others traveled across the country – 2 to the District of Columbia, 4 to Massachusetts, 2 to Maine, 4 to New York, and 2 to Pennsylvania, while two left the mainland for Hawaii.

A number of students are attending the most elite schools in the country. Georgetown, the University of Chicago, Brown, Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Duke, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Santa Clara, and Stanford are among the destinations of 2013 Century Scholars.

Other Scholars are enrolled at some of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the U.S. – Grinnell (IA), Bowdoin and Colby (ME), Carleton (MN), Oberlin (OH), Lewis and Clark, Reed and Pacific (OR), and Whitman (WA) are included.

In 2013, two Scholars received appointments at military academies, one to The United States Military Academy at West Point, and the other at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Wherever our Century Scholars choose to enroll, they bring an excellent academic record and a well-rounded background to their college and university experiences. They are truly an impressive group.

College Majors of Boise District Graduates

Data about everything from fees to college grad rates are available at an excellent website hosted by the National Center for Educational Statistics and called the College Navigator.

Colleges and universities report their data based on "first-time full-time" enrollees, which means that students in a particular high school class who enter college as full-time students for the first time in the semester after graduation are tracked. The NCES provides four and six-year college grad rates for every college that takes federal funds.

We've used the same statistical calculations to track Boise District students for the past six years, and we now have complete six-year data for the 2007 Boise District high school graduating class. It's interesting that the highest percentage of Boise District college grads major in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Here's the full report of their academic progress, and their majors at graduation.

Go On Patterns at Boise and Capital

Over the past two decades, the Boise District student population has become more diverse, in terms of free/reduced lunch qualification. In 1990, for example, the percentage of Boise’s elementary students qualifying for free/reduced lunch was 27%. In 2000, the percentage was 40%, and in March 2013 it was 48%.

At the senior high level, we find that free/reduced populations at Boise, Capital and the District as a whole stood at these levels in 2007 and 2013:



So what effect has changing demographics had on college-going percentages at the two high schools and in the district? Perhaps not what you might think. Below are “Direct to College” percentages at the two high schools and in the District.



Note first that the percentages have increased at both high schools since 2007 (Boise from 64 to 69 and Capital from 48 to 62), and in the District. As demographics have dramatically changed at Capital, the percentage of students going on to college has increased substantially!

The same patterns emerge when we look at students who enter college in the first two years after high school. Here is that chart with Boise, Capital, and the District:



As you can see in this chart, the percentage of high school grads enrolling in college within 2 years of graduation for the class of 2011 is close to 80% at Boise High School, and is at 74% at Capital. Again, Capital’s percentages have increased dramatically even as the student population has continued to change.

What has caused such a dramatic positive change in Capital’s “Go on” rates? There appear to be several factors:

• Capital’s counselors and faculty have made a concerted effort to advise students about college opportunities and encourage students to fill out FAFSA and college applications.
• The College of Western Idaho (CWI) has provided a community college opportunity not previously available to Capital students
• Staff from CWI have worked closely with Capital’s counselors and staff to increase awareness of programs and provide registration opportunities.
• The AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program has sparked an increase in Capital college attendance of about 3%.

Boise High School graduates’ college going patterns differ markedly from those of Capital students. Here are the most popular choices for 2013 Boise High grads:




45% of Boise grads enrolled at Boise State, the University of Idaho, and CWI, with only 8% at CWI. Outside of these three schools, the most popular choices for Boise students were the University of Utah (17 students), the College of Idaho (8), Whitman College (6), and BYU, Western Washington, Cal Poly, and Idaho State (5 each). Forty-nine percent (49%) of Boise grads went to out of state colleges.

Here are the patterns for 2013 Capital graduates:



69% of Capital grads enrolled at BSU, UI, and CWI, with 28% at CWI alone. Outside of these three, the most popular Capital choices were Idaho State (9), Utah State, (8), BYU-Idaho (7), and the College of Idaho (6). Twenty percent (20%) of Capital grads attended out of state colleges.

Boise District Students' College Destinations

With the help of National Student Clearinghouse data, we have been able to track Boise District hs graduates' college progress much more accurately, beginning with the high school graduating class of 2007. We know that we have made consistent progress in increasing the college-going rate of our grads.



Boise District "Direct to College" rates have increased from 53% to 60% since 2007. Latest data from the Higher Ed Information website show that between 2008 and 2010, the college-going rate for Idaho actually dropped from 49% to 45%.

Sixty-seven (67%) of Class of 2013 students who went directly to college the fall after high school graduation went to in-state colleges; 33% went out of state. The most popular destinations for the class of 2013 were BSU (29%), CWI (16%), and the University of Idaho (12%).



Class of 2013 students enrolled in colleges in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The most popular out-of-state colleges were the University of Utah (25), Brigham Young University and Utah State University (16), and Montana State University (13).

Just to give you an idea of the far-and-away travels of our students, here are some colleges attended by class of 2013 grads: Tufts (MA), 2, Cal-Berkeley, 2, Oberlin (OH), 3, Penn, 2, Baylor, 2, Santa Clara, 3, Brown (RI), 1, Duke, (NC), 1, Harvard (MA), 1, MIT, 1, Georgetown (DC), 1, Stanford, 2, Puget Sound, WA, 2, Nebraska, 2, Furman, (SC), 2, NYU, 3, Colorado, 3, Washington, 3, Alaska-Fairbanks, 1, and BYU-Hawaii, 4. Aloha!

The SAT and College Readiness

Where do Idaho's high schools currently stand in terms of college readiness? The SAT, paid for by the state of Idaho and administered annually to 11th graders across the state, provides some answers.

Several years ago, the Idaho State Department of Education set "cut" scores for the subtests of the SAT to indicate whether or not a student was deemed "college prepared". The College Board, parent organization for the SAT, recommends that a score of 500 on each of the Critical Reading, Math, and Writing subtests equates to preparedness in that area, and that a composite score of 1550 shows overall preparedness for college.

The SAT reports for Idaho school districts and high schools are here. We took those reports, added free/reduced lunch information, and created scattergrams for "large" high schools (tested more than 50 students) in the state.

Here's the math chart, for example:



The x-axis on this chart is the percentage of free/reduced students at the high school (we used 10th grade 2013 free/reduced, because 11th grade data were not available. The y-axis is percentage of 11th graders scoring above 500 on the SAT math subtest. We also included a best-fit line for the data. So, for example, Eagle High School, with about 15% free/reduced, had 46% of its juniors scoring above 500 on the SAT.

Note that there exists a substantial gap between the highest and lowest performing high schools. Renaissance, Meridian's magnet high school, and Boise High have over 60% of juniors scoring above 500 in math. Several high schools have 15% or fewer.

A factor not considered in this chart is the number of Limited English students at each high school. For example, Borah High School has the largest number of Limited English students in the state of Idaho, which naturally affects overall performance on an exam such as the SAT.

In February, 2013, Southern Idaho Superintendents recommended to the Governor's Task Force that the state require each high school and district to set goals for improving college readiness, based on their standing on each SAT subtest. We know where we stand in college readiness; the above chart illustrates the urgency of moving forward in preparing Idaho's students.

Here's a more detailed presentation about the SAT and the information it provides.