news-record.com

District officials reveled this summer as many schools posted gains in state exams and graduation rates.

But while educators focused on meeting state and federal academic goals last school year, another performance measure for high school students — the SAT — fell behind.

Now, Guilford Schools Superintendent Terry Grier is prodding administrators, principals and teachers at Guilford County high schools to regain lost ground. The district's average reading and math subtotal score dropped nine points, from 994 in 2006 to 985 this year.

"We did not spend the time and attention on the SAT as we intend to do this year," Grier said.

The SAT is an important test because many colleges use it, in part, in the admissions process.

Guilford County Schools has adopted a thorough plan to improve SAT scores over the next seven years.

Grier wants to close the gap between Guilford and Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools in two years and between local schools and the state in four years. Ultimately, the district wants to meet or surpass Wake County's average reading and math subtotal score — currently 1057 — by 2013-14.

Grier and his staff also want high schools simultaneously to meet or exceed the state's average participation rate of 71 percent. Thirteen of 24 schools had participation rates among graduating seniors below that last school year.

School board member Nancy Routh said she is uncomfortable with the district's focus on competing with other school systems.

"I have a little bit of a problem that our biggest goal is to close the gap between Guilford County Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Wake," Routh said . "That's not my goal. My goal is to educate the child."

But Routh and other board members, concerned about inconsistent practices among district high schools, showed overall support during a Saturday retreat for Grier's plan.

Mack McCary , the district's chief academic officer, said he found roughly 10 different approaches to SAT preparation among the high schools.

"We really haven't had a system," McCary said. "We tried different things over time, and those things haven't been very successful."

District strategies this year will include:

l Paying selected teachers a $500 stipend to organize SAT preparation in their schools and a $1,000 bonus if schools meet targeted average scores and participation rates.

l Developing a marketing plan to increase parents' awareness of the importance of the SAT for college-bound students.

l Requiring schools to develop an SAT improvement plan by Oct. 15.

l Providing online tutorials from the College Board to students for free.

School officials will spend $144,800 in operating funds for the classes, including about $67,000 for the College Board tutorials, McCary said.

The district also will require schools that had the lowest average scores or the biggest drop in scores to obtain commitments from students to spend 15 to 30 hours preparing for the test. The a ffected high schools are Andrews, Dudley, Eastern, Northeast, Smith and Southwest.

McCary expects about 90 seniors to sign up for real-time online assistance from tutors in India, he said.

Administrators at some of these schools, such as Smith and Dudley, have been busy over the past year reforming their instruction practices to bring up state test scores.

"I don't think it's adding on too much," said Harry Waddell , a Dudley parent whose daughter plans to retake the SAT this year. "We are interested in Dudley students doing well once they leave (high school)."

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or mjosey@news-record.com

SAT TIMELINE

Guilford County Schools has adopted a plan for improving high school SAT scores. Major deadlines:

September: Train teachers organizing SAT preparation; identify students who need tutoring.

Oct. 6: Test students seeking early admissions to colleges.

Oct. 15: Schools develop SAT improvement plan that includes steps to increase average SAT scores and maintain or exceed participation rates.

Dec. 1: Test seniors who are not enrolled in a first-semester SAT preparation class.

Jan. 26: Test seniors enrolled in first-semester class

May 3: Test juniors enrolled in a second-semester class

MORE ONLINE

Find SAT scores for Guilford and other districts at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2007-08/20070828-01

Source: Guilford County Schools