Athens, Hartselle lead area schools in SAT-10 scores

By Bayne Hughes
hughes@decaturdaily.com · 340-2432

Athens City claimed the top average scores among area schools on the 2006-07 Stanford Achievement Test, 10th edition.

With an average percentile of 65.7, Athens takes the lead in The Daily area’s six school systems away from Hartselle, 62.7, which led in 2005-06 but dropped about 5 percentile points. Athens’ scores increased about 1.2 points.

Limestone County, 57.7, edges Morgan County, 56.3, for third place, Decatur is fifth at 50.5 and Lawrence County had a 49.2.

Portions of the SAT-10 aren’t used for state accountability measures under the federal “No Child Left Behind” law, but this norm-referenced test is the only test used in nationwide comparisons. A 50 percentile is the national average.

Alabama raised its average percentile points to 53.9, a 0.7 increase.

The highest score in the area was a 73 by Hartselle’s fourth-graders, who also had a 72 in reading.

Athens’ fourth-graders had 72s in language and math, and a 71 in sixth-grade.

Decatur’s average percentile score dropped 2.6 points, with its sixth-grade scoring a 44 in reading, 49 in language and 48 in social science. The fourth grade had the most success with a 62 in math and a 68 in language.

Lawrence County’s problem areas appear to be in the seventh and eighth grades. Eighth grade was particularly an issue, with a 38 in math, 41 in language and a 44 in science.

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