Bach’s proposal, "Organizing for Success," was submitted to the school board Jan. 13.
By John Tredrea
School officials are pondering Central High School Principal John Bach’s proposal to bring organized, intensive preparation for SAT into the regular instructional program at the school.
For decades nationwide, SAT scores have been a critically important component of high school students’ college applications. Few, if any, would dispute that what a student scores on the SAT will be a determining factor in which colleges accept him or her.
Mr. Bach summarized his written proposal, called "Organizing for Success," during the Jan. 13 Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education meeting.
During his presentation, Mr. Bach confidently predicted that published research results soon will confirm that preparing for the SAT is a key factor in how well a student will do on the test. The socioeconomic standing of a student’s family and the student’s class rank are other factors research has shown to be correlative with SAT success, he said.
Mr. Bach stressed that his proposal is not to revamp the CHS curriculum in order to, as educational parlance would have it, "teach to the test" in this case, the SAT. Rather, he said he believes the district should augment its curriculum by helping students prepare for the SAT in order to help them better face the rigorous competitiveness of application for college admission.
The high school principal said the district must be wary of resting on the laurels of its SAT track record. In his report, he noted that Hopewell Valley’s mean scores on the SAT have risen 28 points 17 points on the math section of the test and 11 points of the verbal during the past five years. During the same time frame, the statewide mean SAT score has gone up six points five points on the verbal, one point on the math. Nationwide, there has been a net gain of three points, as math has gone up four points while verbal has gone down a point, Mr. Bach said.
"Our past success has occurred without any organized effort to prepare for success on the SAT," Mr. Bach said. "In point of fact, we have operated with a certain belief that our natural talents obviated the need for organized preparation. Survey results from our last two senior classes reflect our naturalistic approach to the SAT. Consider the following findings from the 2001-2002 senior survey. Clearly, naturalism will not serve us well in the future:
46 percent of the 194 seniors surveyed did not use an SAT prep manual.
64 percent did not use commercial SAT Prep software.
62 percent did not participate in an SAT Prep course.
68 percent did not use PSAT Score Report to prepare.
30 percent reported no preparation for the exams.
26 percent reported less than four hours preparation for the exam."
Programs suggested for the school board’s consideration by Mr. Bach for increasing CHS students’ preparedness for the SAT included:
Creating a paid SAT Prep position for two teachers, to serve as the school’s test prep coordinators.
Creating a four-week after-school test prep program for students. The program, which would be led by the coordinators, would be given immediately prior to SAT testing in the spring and fall.
Creating a remediation program for the district’s lowest-scoring PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) students. This could include classes, offered on a restricted basis, offered in the evening and summer.
Offering the PSAT to 10th graders during the school day.
Offering an SAT prep course as part of CHS’ regular curriculum.
Keeping test prep materials, in book and CD form, in the school library.
Bringing these and other SAT prep initiatives to the high school would be an effort that would involve several years of work, Mr. Bach said. "The long term welfare of our students and our standing as a top tier high school are at the center of this campaign," he added.
The CHS principal said: "Few would argue that SAT performance has become a vital component of an increasingly more competitive college admissions process. Moreover, SAT performance has become a political and parental index of a high school’s success. At the present moment, our SAT scores are good although they lag behind some of the schools in our comparative school group. The real threat to our continued (if not increased) success lies in the future as we grow to a 1,400-pupil high school. Without a proactive plan in place now, increased student test takers will compromise our ability to perform at the level to which we are accustomed. The time for action is now for, as Kennedy said, ‘Fix the roof while the sun is shining!’"
After Mr. Bach finished his presentation, Superintendent Robert Sopko told the school board that per-pupil cost estimates for an SAT prep program should be ready for the board’s consideration soon. Such a program would have to be approved by the board before it could be implemented.

