Encouraging Measure of Success

Three cheers for Ventura County’s college-bound students, who pumped up their SAT scores for the fifth year in a row and outshone their peers across California and the nation.

The countywide average of 1061 topped the state average of 1013 and national average of 1017. It marked a five-point increase over last year’s county average and a 25-point increase since 1994.

This achievement is the result of hard work by teachers, school administrators, parents, taxpayers and the students themselves. Although the scores confirm that good things are happening in our schools, they also offer a reminder that such scores are only one measure of success--for a student or a community.

Universities use the Scholastic Achievement Test to help select which students to admit. Although thousands of Ventura County students took the test last year, they numbered only 36% of those eligible. That suggests that nearly two-thirds of the county’s high school students are not aiming toward college.

In today’s world, a college education is more important than ever in opening the way to a rewarding career, financial success and a life that is richer in many other ways as well. Districts should do all they can to challenge more of their students to pursue that goal.

That’s what Santa Paula Union High District did last fall when it pushed hundreds of students into college-prep courses. Santa Paula’s average SAT score rose by 84 points--the county’s biggest jump--although it remains below the countywide average.

Like some other districts, Santa Paula hired a consultant to help students prepare for the test. The Conejo Valley Unified School District, which posted the county’s highest average, organized workshops to help students prepare.

While such efforts may help the scores, it’s questionable how much they help the kids. School districts should take care that the quest for better scores never eclipses the larger goal of encouraging each student to pursue all the education he or she can possibly get.