Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member and 2004 Chairman of the Board

September 19, 2004

Record SAT Scores in District 3

   Those of us in Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Duluth, and Berkeley Lake have much to celebrate as we hear the news of the 2004 SAT results at Norcross High School, at Duluth High School, and in the other 13 high schools in Gwinnett County.

   For many, the SAT score is the ultimate measure of the success of an individual school and of a school system. 

   In 2004, 87% of eligible seniors and juniors in Gwinnett County took the SAT. This compares to the 48% of eligible seniors and juniors in the nation that took the SAT.

   The average SAT score in Gwinnett County was 1037. This is 11 points above the national average of 1026 and 50 points above the Georgia average of 987.

   At Norcross High School, 95% of eligible seniors and juniors in 2004 took the SAT and received an average of 1057-up from 1053 in 2003. Norcross High School scored the fourth highest SAT average in Gwinnett County's 15 high schools. 

   Norcross students scored an average 516 on the verbal SAT and 541 on the math portion of the SAT. That means that Norcross students scored 20 points higher than the Gwinnett County average for the 2004 SAT and 31 points higher than the nation-and 60 points above the Georgia average!

   At Duluth High School, there was much of the same SAT good news.

   Duluth High School's 2004 SAT average was 1073-third highest in Gwinnett County of 15 high schools. The average SAT verbal score at Duluth was 524 and math was 549. A total of 92% of eligible seniors and juniors at Duluth High School took the SAT in 2004.

   Compared to the Gwinnett County SAT average of 1037, Duluth High School students scored an average of 36 points higher. Duluth students outscored the national average of 1026 by 47 points and the Georgia average of 987 by 86 points.

   Gwinnett County's success with SAT scores began to make noticeable gains after 1998. That year, the average SAT national score was 1017, while the Gwinnett County average was 1018. 

   Beginning in 1999, Gwinnett County students scored taking the SAT scored 11 points above the national average of 1016. In 2000, the difference in Gwinnett County was nine points above the national average of 1019. 

   In 2001, the difference was seven points when the nation has an average of 1020. In 2002 and 2003, the national average moved to 1026, while Gwinnett County's SAT average vaulted to 1036 in 2003 and 1037 in 2004.

   Many reasons could be attributed to this continuous rise in Gwinnett County SAT scores. The first is that the Academic Knowledge and Skills curriculum provides strong preparation for the SAT and other standardized tests of student academic achievement.

   Another reason is that many more Gwinnett County students, including those at Norcross High School and Duluth High School, have increased the number of Advanced Placement classes that they take in high school. Also, they have increased the number of Advanced Placement tests that they sit for, scoring at 3 and above to earn academic credit that transfers with them to collegiate settings. 

   Also, at Norcross High School, more than 270 students are enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program and its feeder classes. The rigorous preparation and training available in the IB program-the County's only such program-provides strong stimulation and preparation for students to perform well on the SAT. 

   The 2004 average score of 1037 sets a record for SAT scores in Gwinnett County. A higher percentage of students in Gwinnett in 2004 took the SAT than in the state of nation. In 2004, 87% of seniors took the test, compared to 73% in Georgia and 48 percent in the nation.

   Also of significance in 2004 were the number of Gwinnett County students taking Advanced Placement examinations. In Spring 2004, 3,847 students took 6,893 exams, up from 3,493 who took 6,524 tests in 2003.

   The number of AP exams taken in 2004 by Gwinnett County students has almost doubled since 2000, when only 3,526 exams were taken. 

   Even as more students take AP exams in Gwinnett County, a higher percentage of students in 2004 scored 3 or higher on the exams. Results show 66.7% of Gwinnett's AP test-takers scored 3 or higher, compared to 59.7% in Georgia and 61.6% globally.

   Scores of 3 and above are important as most colleges will grant credit or exemptions for those comparable classes at the college level to students achieving at this high level.

   To those in District 3-home of Norcross High School and Duluth High School-there is much reason to cheer the strength of the academic program and the performance of our students. 

   Congratulations to the principals, faculty, staff, parents, and students who believed in the importance of a strong academic program, who insisted by the Gwinnett County Public Schools deliver excellence in education, and who provide the financial resources to make such academic advances possible in our public schools.

  As the District 3 School Board member, I am honored to participate with you in our partnership to provide the highest quality public education that our vision, or community will, and our resources will allow.

091904

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