Ventura County Tops U.S., State SAT Averages

For the fifth consecutive year Ventura County students improved their SAT scores and once again outshone their peers across the state and nation, with Santa Paula High registering a whopping 84-point gain.

Ventura County’s 1061 average eclipsed the state average of 1013 and the national average of 1017. It also marked a five-point increase over last year’s countywide average score and a 25-point increase since 1994.

The county’s students averaged 523 on the verbal test and 538 in math, compared with state averages of 497 in verbal and 516 in math and national averages of 505 in verbal and 512 in math.

“It’s an important gain, particularly if you look at the trend over a five-year period,” said Ted Bartell, director of research and evaluation for the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools office. “The scores in the county are rising at a faster rate than at the state and national levels.”

Increasing numbers of county students enrolling in core academic, advanced placement and honors courses, according to Bartell, may account for higher test scores on college admissions tests.

Once again the Conejo Valley Unified School District boasted some of the best scores in the county. Students at Thousand Oaks High School averaged a combined score of 1118, a five-point decrease over last year but still the highest average score of those available.

“Our students really came through again,” Principal Jo-Ann Yoos said.

Students at her school prepared for the test at workshops organized by the Conejo Valley Unified School District, while others attended private workshops at their own expense, she said. The workshops give students a chance to take practice tests and learn test strategies.

Each year thousands of college-bound students take the Scholastic Achievement Test, which universities use as an entrance requirement and a predictor of academic success. While most county schools had received their scores by Tuesday, several had not, including Camarillo, Hueneme and Oxnard high schools.

Elsewhere in the county, Santa Paula High reported a 51-point jump on the verbal portion of the test and a 33-point increase on the math portion.

“We’re very proud of how well our kids did this year,” said William Brand, superintendent of the Santa Paula Union High District. “The SATs are so important, so they are essential for our kids to do well on.”

The school came close to its goal of reaching the county average, but fell short with a score of 953. Nonetheless, bolstered by the school’s progress, Brand plans to continue to build on this year’s gains, which were achieved in a number of ways.

School officials hired an outside consultant who not only showed teachers how to prepare students for the tests but explained to students the importance of leaving a question blank rather than guessing an incorrect answer, which carries a heavier penalty.

The consultant also prepped the parents on ways they could help, such as ensuring their children a quiet place to study and seeing they got to bed early the night before exams.

Santa Paula students were also helped by a controversial move implemented during the 1997-98 school year that eliminated lower-level classes and funneled hundreds of students into college-prep courses.

Elsewhere in the county, two schools that had significant gains last year posted double-digit drops this year. Ventura High School’s average score dipped 49 points and Fillmore High School registered a 46-point decrease. On a brighter note, Simi Valley High School reported a 39-point jump.

Gains made by Ventura County’s Latino and African American students over the last five years outpaced those of white students. Since 1994, African Americans’ test scores have jumped by 73 points and Latinos’ by 32 points, compared with whites, who improved by 19 points but whose test scores are also higher on average than their ethnic counterparts.

Charles Weis, the superintendent of county schools, said while the county has reason to be proud of this year’s SAT scores, he would like to see more students taking the test.

“The kids are working hard, their parents are supporting them, and the teachers are doing a great job for those kids who are college-bound and are taking the tests,” Weis said. “Unfortunately, it only represents roughly 36% of the kids.”

The percentage of students taking the SAT tests varies dramatically throughout the county, he said. In one district, as many as 80% of students may take the SATs compared with as few as 9% in another.

Weis said he plans to discuss with other superintendents ways to boost those figures countywide. One possibility is to access scholarship money set aside in the state budget by Gov. Pete Wilson to pay for test fees.

“I would like to see more children in Ventura County aspiring to college,” Weis said.

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Ventura County SAT Scores

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Districts 1996-1997 1997-1998 and schools Verbal Math Verbal Math Conejo Valley Unified Thousand Oaks High 553 570 546 572 Newbury Park High 520 543 524 546 Westlake High 538 561 543 565 Fillmore Unified Fillmore High 455 474 429 454 Moorpark Unified Moorpark High 527 529 526 529 Oak Park Unified Oak Park High 523 551 527 535 Ojai Unified Nordhoff High 525 533 511 526 Oxnard Union High Camarillo High 539 545 NA NA Channel Islands High 454 486 468 488 Hueneme High 493 485 NA NA Oxnard High 493 481 NA NA Rio Mesa High 503 511 505 512 Santa Paula Union High Santa Paula High 434 435 485 468 Simi Valley Unified Royal High 512 532 516 531 Simi Valley High 519 540 537 561 Ventura Unified Buena High 542 542 537 552 Ventura High 541 552 522 522 Ventura County average 521 535 523 538 State average 496 514 497 516 National average 505 511 505 512

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Note: Possible maximum score for verbal and math sections combined is 1600

Source: Ventura County school districts