Schools
More Westwood, Pascack Students Taking SAT
The number and percentage of local high school students taking the SAT has consistently risen over the past three years, according to data released by the Department of Education.
The New Jersey Department of Education released report cards for the performance of every school in the state during the 2010-11 year Thursday. The data showed that more students at local high schools were taking the SAT than in previous years.
In the 2008-09 school year, only 60 percent of seniors at took the SAT, compared to 63 percent of seniors in New Jersey. At Pascack Valley High School, 82 percent of seniors had taken the test.
The class of 2010 saw Westwood pass the state with an increase to 76 percent of Westwood seniors and 89 percent of Pascack Valley seniors taking the SAT, compared to 66 percent of seniors across the state.
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Last year, 84 percent of Westwood seniors and 94 percent of Pascack Valley seniors took the SAT, compared to 73 percent of seniors in New Jersey.
In Westwood Jr./Sr. High School, 94.69 percent of seniors graduated last year, with 87.8 of those students passing both sections of the HSPA.
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Students at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School generally had a greater percentage of proficient scores than their peers in the state and the District Factor Group (DFG) — which measures schools from socio-economically similar areas — on both the language arts and math sections of the HSPA test.
However, the average SAT score from Westwood High was lower than the DFG average across the board. Westwood students had a better average score than the state in math but a lower average in the verbal and essay portions.
At Pascack Valley High School, 97.59 percent of seniors graduated, with 95.2 percent of those students passing both sections of the HSPA.
Students at Pascack Valley High School had a greater percentage of proficient scores than their peers at Pascack Hills but fell below the state average.
Average SAT scores at Pascack Valley were higher than the state's average but lower than their DFG's.
Keep following this story on Patch. We will follow up with more detailed information and a look at local elementary and middle schools, along with reaction from school officials.
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