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Education

Idaho SAT scores show small decline

The College Board
By
July 16, 2021 3:37 PM
Published 4:01 PM

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – The SAT was taken by 19,713 Idaho 11th graders this spring, down slightly from the 2019 cohort.  Statewide results show:

  • 53.2 percent of 11th graders met the Evidence-based Reading and Writing (ERW) benchmark in spring 2021, down 3 percentage points from spring 2019.
  • 31.2 percent of students met the math benchmark this past spring, down 1.3 percentage points from 2019.
  • 29.1 percent of students met both benchmarks, a decline of 1.7 percentage points.
SchoolYearStateMetricNamePopulationRate
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksAll Students29.1
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksAmerican Indian or Alaskan Native9.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksAsian or Pacific Islander45.8
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksBlack / African American12.1
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksHispanic10.8
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksNative Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander25.0
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksWhite33.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksTwo or More Races29.7
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksEconomically Disadvantaged14.8
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksLEP2.4
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksStudents with Disabilities2.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksFoster<12
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksHomeless9.4
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksMigrant5.2
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksMilitary Connected32.7
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksMale30.9
2020-2021IdahoMet Both BenchmarksFemale27.2
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkAll Students53.2
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkAmerican Indian or Alaskan Native29.8
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkAsian or Pacific Islander66.9
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkBlack / African American27.9
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkHispanic30.7
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkNative Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander44.1
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkWhite59.0
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkTwo or More Races51.8
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkEconomically Disadvantaged35.4
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkLEP8.5
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkStudents with Disabilities9.0
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkFoster22.0
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkHomeless26.1
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkMigrant18.3
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkMilitary Connected58.4
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkMale50.5
2020-2021IdahoMet ERW BenchmarkFemale56.0
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathAll Students31.2
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathAmerican Indian or Alaskan Native10.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathAsian or Pacific Islander50.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathBlack / African American12.9
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathHispanic12.1
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathNative Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander26.5
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathWhite35.9
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathTwo or More Races31.9
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathEconomically Disadvantaged16.5
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathLEP3.4
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathStudents with Disabilities3.0
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathFoster<12
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathHomeless10.2
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathMigrant7.3
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathMilitary Connected34.7
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathMale33.6
2020-2021IdahoMet Math BenchmathFemale28.6

“We expected there would be learning loss because of pandemic disruptions in the school year and in the previous spring, so it isn’t surprising that the percentage of students meeting benchmarks went down from 2019 – the last time Idaho 11th graders took the SAT,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said Friday.

Among all Idaho districts and charter schools with at least 20 participating students, nine had 50% or more of their students meeting both benchmarks. The highest rate in the state was at Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, where more than 90 percent of students met both benchmarks.

“Many of our high school students weren’t back in the classroom full-time until spring, a few weeks before they took the test,” Superintendent Ybarra said. “That’s why I brought forward legislation this year to change Idaho code to make sure students will have the option of in-person education whenever local safety concerns can be addressed.”

Idaho requires all students to take a college entrance exam to graduate from high school. Most juniors take the SAT because a state contract provides the test at no cost to the student. SAT results also give schools and districts a tool for monitoring annual progress toward college and career readiness in local Continuous Improvement Plans.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, considers students college- and career-ready when they meet both benchmarks (Math and Evidence-based Reading and Writing), but notes that “college readiness is a continuum — students scoring below the SAT benchmarks can still be successful in college, especially with additional preparation and perseverance.”

Results of this spring’s testing at the state, district and school levels can be viewed on the State Department of Education website.

Article Topic Follows: Education

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