The Plymouth School Board may be able to better predict how students will perform on future SAT exams.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, PSAT data from the Class of 2017 was reviewed. The PSAT is designed to be given to High School Juniors. Plymouth Schools, however, have sophomores and a select group of juniors take the test. The state of Indiana helps fund the assessment.
Plymouth High School Principal James Condon says they continue to look into the data.
“We’re trying to get students to take it more seriously by communicating to them the advantages of scoring well on this, what it can do for you, and how it can be used,” says Condon.
The PSAT collects data in four areas, including: reading, math, writing, and college readiness. College readiness measures if the student could achieve a B average in the college or university setting and be able to continue onto a second year of higher education.
The assessment helps students prepare for the SAT by taking preparatory exams at a younger age. It also provides the school corporation with data to compare against students around the state.
Scores dipped by an insignificant amount in Plymouth compared to last year in three categories. They dropped more so in college readiness. Plymouth students also performed a bit less well than their peers around the state.
Superintendent Dan Tyree says a few things can be teased out of the data, including that the company producing the tests doesn’t align questions with state curriculum.
“The state’s trying to look at how they can make this test work with it, to make our curriculum align more with what this test is doing because it’s become more and more important,” says Tyree.
Just over 250 students took the PSAT exam this year.
Condon says he hasn’t been satisfied by the test scores for a few years. The Plymouth School Board took no action on the report.
