FRHSD students exceeding state, national SAT scores

Staff Writer

By dave benjamin

FRHSD students exceeding
state, national SAT scores

Freehold Regional High School District students are exceeding state and national averages on their SAT scores.

"The district SAT scores for 2001 exceed both the state and national averages significantly in the math and verbal areas," Superintendent of Schools James Wasser told the district’s Board of Education on Sept. 10. "So the scores are climbing. We’re in the process of implementing SAT prep programs and schools really want to focus on raising test scores."

In a comparison of SAT scores for 2000 and 2001, the following scores were provided by the board:

For the class of 2000, the mean scores are as follows:

• Colts Neck High School – not applicable (no graduating class).

• Freehold Borough High School – verbal, 527; math, 556.

• Freehold Township High School – verbal, 526; and math, 537.

• Howell High School – verbal, 509; math, 531.

• Manalapan High School – verbal, 524; math, 560.

• Marlboro High School – verbal, 519; math, 556.

In 2000, the districtwide mean verbal score was 520 and the districtwide mean math score was 549, compared to a national mean verbal score of 505 and a national mean math score of 514; and a state mean verbal score of 498 and a state mean math score of 513.

For the class of 2001, the mean scores are as follows:

• Colts Neck – verbal, 504; math, 525.

• Freehold Borough – verbal, 529; math, 538.

• Freehold Township – verbal, 534; math, 539.

• Howell – verbal, 498; math, 515.

• Manalapan – verbal, 523; math, 547.

• Marlboro – verbal, 550; math, 584.

Districtwide, the class of 2001 had a mean score of 527 in the verbal test and a mean score of 547 in the math test, compared to the national mean verbal score of 506 and the national mean math score of 514; and a state mean verbal score of 499 and a state mean math score of 513.

Regarding the High School Proficiency Test and the High School Proficiency Assessment test scores, Wasser told board members, "If you look at all three categories, reading, writing and mathematics, there isn’t one school in the region that has less than 92.7 percent of the students passing in any of the three areas."

At Colts Neck High School, the percent passing were 96.6 in reading, 97.2 in writing, and 98.3 in math.

At Freehold Borough High School, the percent passing were 94 in reading, 96 in writing, and 95 in math.

At Freehold Township High School, the percent passing were 96.5 in reading, 97.9 in writing, and 96.5 in math.

At Howell High School, the percent passing were 98.3 in reading, 96.6 in writing, and 97.1 in math.

At Manalapan High School, the percent passing were 99.2 in reading, 98.5 in writing, and 92.7 in math.

At Marlboro High School, the percent passing were 99.4 in reading, 100 in writing, and 100 in math.

Wasser said these are phenomenal results.

"I share this with the staffs," said the superintendent. "They deserve the accolades, along with the administration, for the wonderful scores that are presented here. When 98, 99 or 100 percent of the students are passing, I don’t know how much better you can do on some of these scores."

The superintendent said the scores will be analyzed by school and subject area, and said programs will be put in place where needed in order to help the students.