News Release

Contact: Communication & Information
talgarin@marietta-city.k12.ga.us
770-422-3500 ext. 282

August 26, 2008

COLLEGE BOARD DATA INACCURACIES HAMPER
SCHOOL DISTRICT’S REPORTING OF SAT SCORES
Marietta outpaces state in Critical Reading and Math, below national

Marietta, GA -Marietta High School recently reported a number of data inaccuracies on their College Board 2008 SAT report, as have other school systems across the state. Because of the data discrepancies, Marietta High School’s (MHS) 2008 total combined average SAT scores may not accurately reflect student performance on the test.

“When we received the initial College Board report the other day, the drop in our scores was so unusual that we searched for reasons and discovered a number of discrepancies on our SAT report,” said Marietta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck. “Since then, we have reported a number of Marietta High School students who took the SAT yet their names do not appear in the 2008 report. In addition, we have 21 students who appear in the report but have never been enrolled as students at Marietta High School.”

The Georgia Department of Education accompanied the release of system- and school -level SAT scores with the following statement, “This system- and school-level data has been provided by the College Board. Every year, when the SAT scores are released, some schools and school systems find errors in the data and ask the College Board to make corrections. Before using or publishing this data, the media is encouraged to contact local system officials and see if they have asked for any corrections to their SAT scores. The Georgia DOE does not produce or own this data and any media inquires about corrections or concerns should be directed to the College Board."

"Upon examining our 2008 SAT score roster, I discovered errors with regard to students’ reported scores," said Leigh Colburn, principal of Marietta High School. “We are still researching the situation and we are working with the College Board to correct the errors. The state has been extremely helpful and responsive with regard to our concerns. Once our report is corrected, we will analyze our scores further to address any drops. During this school year, we will work diligently to make sure that any drop in scores is reversed.”

Based on the reported results, Marietta High School’s (MHS) total combined average SAT scores (1460) were above the state (1453), but were lower than the national total mean of 1511 by 51 points. MHS exceeded the Georgia total mean (493) in Mathematics by ten points at 500, but fell below the national total mean of 515.

In Critical Reading and Writing, MHS reported a total mean score of 489 and 471 respectively—scores that were above the state mean of 486 by three points in Critical Reading and six points under the state mean of 477 in Writing. Compared to the national total mean, MHS scores were below in all areas tested.

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