Local schools, districts shine on SAT

Local school districts performed well on this year's Scholastic Aptitude Test college entrance exam, with two schools among the top 10 overall and most-improved.

Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy led the state with the highest overall average score of 1,818. Charter also posted the state's top average scores on all three phases of the SAT (reading, 625; math, 626; writing, 580).

Students throughout the state took the test April 16, and the results were recently released.

Most high school juniors take the SAT as part of the statewide college and career readiness initiative. A combined perfect score is 2400. Each component has a perfect score of 800.

Kootenai High, based in Harrison, had an average score of 1,526, making it the 10th-highest in Idaho. Kootenai High's 191-point climb from 1,335 last year was the greatest year-over-year improvement in the state.

"I was pleasantly surprised and very proud of our students and staff," Tim Schultz, Kootenai principal and science teacher said of the results.

Charter schools claimed six of the top 10 spots statewide, but Kootenai's showing (fourth among non-charter schools) indicates rural public schools can also hold their own with the state's best, said Andrew Whipple, a Kootenai social studies and science teacher.

Kootenai's current class sizes are 22, 15, 17 and 15 for freshmen through seniors respectively.

"Smaller class size means more student-teacher time and is always to the student's advantage on any tasks ... which ultimately leads to better standardized test performance," Schultz said. "Our staff is stacked with master teachers who are enthusiastically passionate about their work. In a small class, all students can't help but be exposed to this type of caring, which intrinsically motivates them to engage and do their best."

The average overall score in the Lakeland Joint School District was 1,434, Coeur d'Alene 1,420 and Post Falls 1,406.

The state's average score was 1,363.

The Coeur d'Alene School District's average score made it the top achiever among the nine largest districts statewide. Coeur d'Alene, now the fifth-largest district in Idaho, was sixth when the testing took place.

The school district has placed an "intentional focus on developing college and career readiness paths" for its students, said Laura Rumpler, spokesperson for Coeur d'Alene public schools.

"We were the first district in the state to give the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) to ninth- through- 11th-graders," Rumpler said, in a message to The Press.

"Having the highest SAT scores of all the large school districts across the state is a great achievement for our students and we will continue to expand our efforts in creating a culture of readiness."

The district hosts an annual PSAT testing event. This year's "Step Up" College and Career Preparedness Day will be held Oct. 15.

Rumpler said middle and elementary school students in the district regularly participate in activities that promote academic vocabulary and words that commonly appear on the SAT.

Individual average scores for local schools included: Lakeland High, 1,480; Coeur d'Alene High, 1,452; Post Falls High, 1,406; Lake City High, 1,363; Lakeside, 1,183; and Venture High, 1,066. Lakeland had the third-greatest score increase in the state, up 129 points from last year's score of 1,351.

Lakeside counselor Stefani Hoffman said comparing average SAT scores should take some factors into consideration.

"Until a couple of years ago, the only students who took the SAT or the ACT were those who were planning on going to college, but now we test all students," Hoffman said. "Our district has a very high percentage of special education students, much higher than the average high school, and they are all tested in this group. However, I have seen an increase in these scores over the 2013 scores and I believe we will continue to see an increase in these scores."

Staff writer Maureen Dolan contributed to this report.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story included a quote from an educator who said Idaho charter schools excel because they can choose the very best students. That's incorrect. Idaho charter schools must adhere to a strict lottery process when they have more students wishing to enroll than they can accommodate. See Page 4 and Page 5 of: http://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/2014/08/0204.pdf