03/29/2024
Bladen County Schools
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Bladen County SchoolsBladen County Schools got some good news regarding those who took the SAT tests. According to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s 2016 SAT Report, the SAT overall score for 2016 for Bladen County Schools was 1248. That is an increase over 2014 and 2105.

In 2014 the overall district SAT score was 1232 and in 2015 the overall district score was 1206, according to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s 2016 SAT Report.

“It (the 2016 score) is an increase from where we were last year,” said Taylor of the scores.

He said a strategy the school district put in place that has helped the students is having teachers placing a greater emphasis on vocabulary in every subject area and Taylor said more support is also being offered in terms of curriculum.

Dr. Taylor said that it is left up to the district or LEA to determine what materials will be used in the classroom. He credits teachers for spending more time learning about the curriculum.

According to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s 2016 SAT Report, as a district, Bladen County Schools had 140 students (about 47 percent) that took the SAT test in 2016. The Math score for the district was 428; the Critical Reading score was 427; the Writing Score was 393; the Math and Critical Reading combined score was 855 and the total score for the district was 1248.

According to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s 2016 SAT Report, East Bladen High School had 88 students (about 63 percent) take the SAT test in 2016. The Math score was 429; the Critical Reading score was 417; the Writing Score was 392; and the Math and Critical Reading combined score was 846 and the total score for East Bladen High School was 1238.

According to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s 2016 SAT Report, West Bladen High School had 52 students (about 33 percent) take the SAT test in 2016. The Math score was 425; the Critical Reading score was 443; the writing score was 396; and the Math and Critical Reading combined score was 868 and the total score for West Bladen High School was 1264.

Dr. Taylor said that the Writing portion of the SAT test is an area the district will continue to work to improve scores. He said more focus is being placed on writing in primary and elementary schools.

“As a district, 393 is below both the state and national average,” said Dr. Taylor.

In comparison, scores for the State of North Carolina show 54,663 students took the SAT test in the state. The Math score was 508;  the Critical Reading score  was 502; the Writing score was 475; the combined Math and Critical Reading score was 1010; the overall score was 1485.

Nationwide SAT scores: the Math score was 494; the Critical Reading score was 487; the Writing score was 472; and combined Math and Critical Reading score was 981; and the total score was 1453.

On a related note, Dr. Taylor said that the ACT scores were also strong among those students who chose to take that test instead of the more traditional SAT.  He said that as a district, staff are trying to let students know they can take the ACT and those scores along with their academic record will be accepted by colleges and universities.

“We are trying to make sure students are prepared. We are trying to get students to focus on taking the ACT and perform well,” said Dr. Taylor.

Dr. Taylor said that with the ACT there is no student accountability like there is with SAT so many students take to not take that test as seriously as the SAT. He said all of the accountability for the ACT falls back on the school district and the State.

He said that the schools offer ACT prep courses and high school teachers focus on vocabulary  in their particular area.

Dr. Taylor said when Bladen County students began to take the ACT about four or five years ago, the students were not familiar with it. Dr. taylor said the ACT test has been around for several decades but was not utilized as much in North Carolina. Now, he said that students understand that most colleges accept both the SAT and the ACT test scores.

“When a student makes the choice to go to college, that is an individual choice. We try to make sure they have the test scores required (for admission),” said Dr. Taylor.

He pointed out that last year, West Bladen High School had 100 percent of the senior class apply to a college, a private college, or a community college. Dr. Taylor said that does not necessarily mean those students chose to attend college.

“That shows we are trying to direct our kids towards getting a post secondary education,” said Dr. Taylor.

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