When it comes to standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, Fayette County’s 2012 graduates continued the school system’s high scoring tradition by scoring well above the state and national averages.
School system spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach said the school system’s 2012 graduates posted SAT scores that averaged 1,542 points. That score topped the state average by 90 points and the national average by 44 points. A perfect SAT score is 2,400, or a maximum score of 800 in each of the three test categories.
Berry-Dreisbach said the school system’s 2012 graduates averaged 517 in critical reading, 524 in mathematics and 501 in writing.
“Fayette outscored the state and nation in all test sections,” Berry-Dreisbach said. “The county’s score is 29 points above the state and 21 points above the nation in critical reading, 35 points above the state and 10 points above the nation in mathematics and 26 points above the state and 13 points above the nation in writing.”
Both McIntosh High and Starr’s Mill High tallied the highest average scores in the county with 1,633 and 1,605, respectively. Sandy Creek High had the highest average score increase with 1,456, up 28 points from 2011. Whitewater High also saw an increase with a score of 1,516, up 10 points from 2011. Fayette County High posted an average score of 1,423, said Berry-Dreisbach.
When it comes to the ACT test, the scores show that Fayette County’s high school seniors are among the most prepared for college-level coursework in the state and nation, Berry-Dreisbach said. The ACT consists of curriculum-based tests of educational development in English, mathematics, reading and science designed to measure the skills needed for success in the first year of college coursework.
Fayette posted a composite score of 22.9. In comparison to state and national composite scores, Georgia schools scored 20.7 and schools nationwide scored 21.1. That puts Fayette 2.2 points ahead of the state composite and 1.8 points ahead of the nation, said Berry-Dreisbach.
Berry-Dreisbach said the county’s ACT score remained virtually unchanged from last year, though there was a slight increase in science.
A total of 1,040 students opted to take the ACT in 2012, increasing participation by approximately 5.5 percent over 2011.
Although more Fayette students are taking ACT, most still go with the SAT, the other college entrance exam. The ACT is the primary college admissions test for schools in some other parts of the country, said Berry-Dreisbach.
