Published: August 28, 2009 05:46 pm      

Better prepared — 08/31/09

Two signs that the brightest students are improving

The best and brightest of Kentucky high school students are doing better academically, a clear indication that the state’s high schools are doing a better job of preparing their best students for the academic rigors of college.

That’s the conclusion that can be drawn from how Kentucky students are doing on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and on year-end exams in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. In both, Kentucky students are improving.

The SAT is not an accurate measure of how well Kentucky high schools are preparing students for college life. That’s because so few high school students in Kentucky take the SAT, which is not required for any students enrolling in state universities and community and technical colleges in Kentucky. Thus, just about the only Kentucky high school students taking the SAT are those who hope to go to the private college. For the most part, those students are among the highest ranked students in their senior class.

While more than 40,000 Kentucky students took the rival American College Test (ACT) representing virtually 100 percent of last spring’s graduating class, the number of Kentucky students taking the SAT — about 4,000 — actually dropped by 20 percent, making the test an even less accurate gauge of how well Kentucky high schools are preparing students.

Nevertheless, there were 9- to 10-point gains in verbal, math and writing skills among the minority of Kentucky students who did take the SAT.

Even more encouraging is the increase in the number of Kentucky students taking Advance Placement classes and the scores they received on the year-in tests.

AP courses allow high school students to pursue college-level studies, and those who score well on the year-end tests can earn college credit, lowering the cost of their college education.

In 2005, Kentucky and five other states received a grant from the National Governors Association to improve access to and success in AP courses. Kentucky used its award to improve both student and teacher preparation for AP courses.

In 2007, the National Math and Science Initiative (NSMI) formed a partnership with the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation to expand access to, preparation for and participation in AP courses.

Those efforts are getting the desired results. According to the Kentucky Department of Education, the number of Kentucky students taking AP courses and getting a high score on the year-end AP exams has increased by 87 percent.

The SAT scores and AP courses tell us little or nothing about how well Kentucky high schools are preparing all their students, but they tell us quite a bit about how well schools are preparing their top students — and the news is good.