Fairfax County Public Schools: Fairfax County SAT Outcomes Stay Strong Despite Pandemic Testing Challenges

Falls Church VA

23 September, 2021

3:10 PM

Description

Press release from Fairfax County Public Schools: September 22, 2021 The Class of 2021 in Fairfax County continued to perform well above state and global averages on the SAT, according to results recently released by the College Board. The Fairfax County overall mean score of 1201 surpassed both the state average (1151) and the global average (1060). Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (601) and Mathematics (600) in Fairfax County likewise posted above the state and global averages, as shown in the table below.  2021 Fairfax, Virginia, and Global Public School Mean SAT Scores* Reporting Group Fairfax Overall Virginia Overall Global Overall Fairfax Reading/ Writing Virginia Reading/ Writing Global Reading/ Writing Fairfax Math Virginia Math Global  Math Reporting Group All  Fairfax Overall 1201 Virginia Overall 1151 Global Overall 1060 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 601 Virginia Reading/ Writing 584 Global Reading/ Writing 533 Fairfax Math 600 Virginia Math 567 Global  Math 528 Reporting Group Asian Fairfax Overall 1294 Virginia Overall 1264 Global Overall 1239 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 633 Virginia Reading/ Writing 620 Global Reading/ Writing 597 Fairfax Math 662 Virginia Math 644 Global  Math 642 Reporting Group Black Fairfax Overall 1054 Virginia Overall 1009 Global Overall 934 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 533 Virginia Reading/ Writing 517 Global Reading/ Writing 477 Fairfax Math 521 Virginia Math 492 Global  Math 457 Reporting Group Hispanic Fairfax Overall 1095 Virginia Overall 1088 Global Overall 967 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 552 Virginia Reading/ Writing 554 Global Reading/ Writing 490 Fairfax Math 543 Virginia Math 534 Global  Math 477 Reporting Group Two or More Fairfax Overall 1213 Virginia Overall 1157 Global Overall 1116 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 612 Virginia Reading/ Writing 590 Global Reading/ Writing 565 Fairfax Math 601 Virginia Math 567 Global  Math 551 Reporting Group White Fairfax Overall 1220 Virginia Overall 1172 Global Overall 1112 Fairfax Reading/ Writing 617 Virginia Reading/ Writing 597 Global Reading/ Writing 562 Fairfax Math 603 Virginia Math 574 Global  Math 550 * Only the most recent results from the revised (2016) SAT assessment are considered. All score calculations are based on College Board public reporting, as of September 15, 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools recognizes that we have opportunities to explore the provision of rigorous learning opportunities to all students.  These data continue to show evidence of persistent and predictable racial disparities. As we center equitable access in our decision-making, responding through the expansion of responsive learning experiences will be important. This testing data serves as a reminder that we still have much more to do as a system, and as a community, to provide the academic supports that all of our children need to be successful. The pandemic had a major impact on SAT participation worldwide, due to COVID-related exam cancelations, combined with family reluctance to send their students in person for testing. The College Board reported a 31.4% drop in SAT participation globally, with a 33.4%  drop in Virginia.  Fairfax County's participation rates were substantially less affected, with a participation drop of only 4.4%, as FCPS offered SAT School Day for the first time in September 2020. The SAT School Day offered students the opportunity to take the SAT at no charge to them at their school on a designated weekday. As a result, 9,318 Fairfax County seniors took the SAT, representing 63% of the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) senior class. "We recognize that priorities changed for many during the pandemic. Offering convenient access to the SAT at no cost, was our way to ease the burden on our families and students," FCPS Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand said. "The fact that FCPS saw such a small decrease in participation shows that this concept worked." FCPS will again be offering the SAT School Day to interested students in grade 12 on October 13, 2021. ### For more information, contact the FCPS Office of Communication and Community Relations at 571-423-1200.   This press release was produced by Fairfax County Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.