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Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The SAT & HOPE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Okay, in the interest of moving on, I’ll dump the previously unreported contents of my notebook on Kathy Cox’s recent SAT presentation :
Regarding the PSAT: Scores for tenth graders taking the test are flat over the past three years. On a personal note, she mentioned her son took the PSAT. He is also learning to drive. She said she requires him to work an online practice question for every minute she spends teaching him to maneuver the car.
Regarding the ACT: “We’re not moving on this test, which is cause for concern.” Far fewer kids take the ACT than the SAT, but the results are similar. Georgia is below the national average, though not last. (Thank you, Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina) The takeaway message is the same: Too many kids are not ready for college. Said Cox: “The results unfortunately of both tests mirror the reality that our kids who want to go to college aren’t prepared.”
Which brings us to… Regarding why three-quarters of Georgia seniors take the SAT, when only a third will go to college? Said Cox: “HOPE.”
The HOPE Scholarship gives Georgia kids hope that they can go to college. But while the lottery offers them a chance to afford college, many crash into a wall when it comes to academics. They just don’t have the foundation for college work. That’s a tragedy nobody can spin.
