By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield High’s SAT scores dipped slightly last year, Principal Patricia Puglisi said during the School Committee’s Nov. 7 meeting.
The SAT exam grades students on two different sections, and students can receive a maximum score of 1,600. The test includes an evidence-based reading portion that includes an optional writing component (ERW) along with the math exam.
“This data comes from the Class of 2024,” said Puglisi. “It is the last test that they took. The score that is included is the one that they took last, so it might not be their best score. People would assume it was their best score.”
Puglisi said the Class of 2024 received a mean score of 565 on the ERW exam, which was less than the Class of 2023’s mean score of 574. The state average mean for the SAT ERW exam was 559 and the national average mean was 480.
“We continue to exceed the state and the nation with our ERW scores,” said Puglisi. “Eighty-three percent of our kids met the college readiness benchmark in English. Our data over time has been very consistent here.”
Puglisi said the Class of 2024’s average mean score on the math section equaled 544, which was less than the Class of 2023 average mean score of 567. The LHS Class of 2024’s math exam mean scores was less than the state average mean of 550, but was higher than the national average mean of 530.
“Fifty-nine percent of the students in math met the college readiness benchmark,” said Puglisi. “The math scores were a little lower than the prior two years. We are going to dig deep into that data. That is something the teachers are committed to.”
Puglisi said there are very few LHS students who take the ACT exam, which is also administered by the College Board.
“I think that is something as a school we want to look at,” said Puglisi.
School Committee member Jamie Hayman noted the Class of 2024 was the first class to take a computer-based version of the SAT exam. While he said one year of data does not illustrate a trend, Hayman asked, “Have we heard anything that is qualitative that has suggested we need to change things?”
Puglisi said moving to a computer-based version of the SAT marked a “change in testing style for students” even though students have taken other exams such as the MCAS on computers.
“As you said, I don’t know if we have the trend data yet,” said Puglisi. “I think we will know more as we go on.”
School Committee member Jim Dillon said 55 percent of Massachusetts’ students took the SAT exam last year.
“The greater number of students who take the test, the lower the average score is,” said Dillon. “We have 80 percent of our students taking it. It’s not really apples-to-apples. They are down a little bit and hopefully they will improve.”
Hayman noted that his oldest daughter, Ella, is currently applying to colleges.
“So many fewer schools are requiring the SATs,” said Hayman. “It’s amazing how many schools have gone to SAT optional.”
