More students are taking the SATs

Deirdre Newman

Five percent more Newport-Mesa high school seniors spent a Saturday

morning hunched over desks taking the college entrance exam during

the 2002-03 school year.

And, when all the multiple choice answer sheets had been tallied,

the district’s averages -- 530 on verbal and 554 on math -- were also

higher than the state averages -- 499 on verbal and 519 on math.

Estancia High School improved its scores on the SAT more than its

three counterparts. The average verbal score at Estancia shot up by

8% and the average math score jumped by 11%.

“We’re excited about [the increase],” Principal Tom Antal said.

“We want more students to take the exam, and we want those who do

take them to do better. Certainly, it’s a step in the right direction

for us. We’re going to keep pushing in that direction.”

Corona del Mar High School had the highest scores in the

Newport-Mesa Unified School District, with an average of 553 on

verbal and 588 on math.

The most glaring discrepancy is between the numbers of students

taking the test at the Newport Beach high schools and at the Costa

Mesa high schools. The roughly 35% of all seniors at Estancia and

Costa Mesa High School who took the test is considerably lower than

the number of seniors at either Corona del Mar or Newport Harbor High

School, which was about 75%.

Peggy Anatol, director of assessment, focused on the 5% increase

in the number of seniors tested throughout the whole district. About

60% of district seniors took on the challenge during the last school

year.

“I think it’s wonderful that more students are taking the SAT, and

probably, that’s as good an indicator that at least more students are

attempting a four-year university straight out of the chute,” Anatol

said.

She added that the improvements at Costa Mesa and Estancia high

schools were the result of different approaches.

Costa Mesa High School has been working on differentiated

instruction, which tries to reach students through various means,

such as visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

“[Teachers] did a lot of training last year with a model called

Modern Red Schoolhouse and worked with a consultant who really helped

them all get together in improving achievement for all students,”

Anatol said.

Estancia High School has focused on raising expectations for

students, she said.

“Everyone’s been pulling together on the California state

standards, and Estancia and Costa Mesa saw good results in their STAR

scores and can see it in the achievement tests,” Anatol said.

Corona del Mar High School’s average verbal dropped five points,

while its average math went up by two. And Newport Harbor High School

saw a decrease of 18 points on verbal and a drop of 17 in its math

score.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].