Schools deserve praise for gains

Congratulations to Charlottesville and Albemarle County students and schools for gains in SAT scores over last year.

The gains are significant not just in terms of raw numbers, but also because they run the gamut of all testing categories.

These measured improvements on all categories support school officials’ statements that the two systems are focusing harder on higher educational standards.

“I think it’s a reflection of the high standards our teachers have and our community has for our kids,” said Laurie McCullough, director of student achievement and program evaluation for Charlottesville.

In addition to more challenging courses, the county’s gains can be attributed to “encouraging critical thinking and problem solving, rather than test prep and memorization,” said Luvelle Brown, chief information officer for the school division.

Critical reading is one component of the SATs, along with math and writing.

The scores break down like this:

Charlottesville

l Critical reading — 22 point gain

l Writing — 14 point gain

l Math — 12 point gain

Albemarle County

l Critical reading — 21 point gain

l Writing — 26 point gain

l Math — 24 point gain

These improvements were made even as national scores were dropping. Although declines nationwide are worrisome for the country, local success in defying this trend is further cause for celebration for the city and county schools.

Kudos to students for pushing the bar higher and to their teachers and support staff for helping them achieve.