SAT results released; overall gains in performance and participation | Education

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) - The SAT is widely accepted as a tool to assess academic readiness for college and is voluntarily taken by students seeking admission to post-secondary institutions. 

No longer voluntary in North Carolina is the ACT, also an academic readiness assessment, which was administered at no charge to all juniors for the first time during the 2011-12 school year.  

Annual administration and results of the ACT are part of the new high school accountability model.

County-wide, 27 additional students voluntarily took the SAT in 2012.  It is unclear how the participation rate will be affected over time in light of the required ACT administration.

Participating Brunswick County students scored an average of 977 on the combined critical reading and math scores, which is up 13 points from 2011. Overall increases were achieved at three of the four high schools. The system is slightly below the state average of 997.

Superintendent Edward Pruden commented, "Increasing student participation and system-wide combined performance on the SAT are two of our system's strategic priorities.  These gains are good news."