THS SAT and AP Scores Continue To Rise

About 210 students took 486 Advanced Placement courses and 416 year-end tests in 21 courses, by far the greatest number of students, courses and tests taken in the last three years, school officials say.

The AP courses included English Literature and Composition, Calculus, Spanish, U.S. History, Chemistry, Psychology and Environmental Science.

THS Principal Dr. Robert Tremaglio and Guidance Department Chair JoAnn O'Connell recently revealed the results of last year's Scholastic Achievement and AP Tests.

Supt. Ralph Iassogna said, “I think you'll be pleased with the results.”

About the AP results, Tremaglio said AP tests are scored one to five. One hundred twenty-nine (31 percent) of THS's 416 tests were graded five and 152 (37 percent) were fours. More broadly, 92 percent of THS scores were three or higher, compared with 74 percent for Connecticut.

Some students who opted out of the final exam did so because, while in the past colleges routinely accepted the two highest grades – five and four – for credit, not all do today. Further, students must pay $87 to take each test.

O'Connell said the challenge of more rigorous academics in “a very competitive world” serves as sufficient motivation for those who opt out of the test.

School Board member Lisa Labella noted that her daughter took AP courses and believes that they “strengthened her college application and prepared her better.”

Member Loretta Chory added that her daughter, a senior in college, is “taking two minors as a result of taking AP courses.”

SATs

Tremaglio segued to the SATs noting that the test has been expanded from English and Math to today's test consisting of Critical Reading and Math segments supplemented by a new Writing test. The maximum score is now 2,400.

He said the “writing test is the best predictor of college success of the three parts of the SAT.”

About 450 of the 493 members of the class of 2011 took the SAT at least once. Again, this class turned in higher scores than either of the preceding two, and, again, THS median scores were well above those of the state as a whole.

Tremaglio said, “look how well we're doing in all three areas.” He pointed out that the percentage of students scoring 600 or above increased from 2010 to 2011, and that 33 percent attained that level in Math, 25 percent in Critical Reading and 28 percent in the Writing test.

He also said that a growing number of students are taking the American College Testing (ACT) exam than in the past – 154 this year, against 58 in 2007.

Most feel more comfortable with the ACT than the SAT because the former is “more of an achievement test that tracks students' course work, while the SAT is a more problem solving or intuitive test.”

Meanwhile, a growing number of colleges are making SATs and ACTs optional.

Tremaglio concluded that “while nationally, SAT scores have hit an all time low, not so for Trumbull High School.”