European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes monday september 26,19bb education i school Counselor treat sat trauma second in a three part series by Dave Walczak Edo Calion writer ka1serslautern, West Germany Christie Mcdonald still lenses just thinking about it. Now. Months later she can still remember that sat urday morning when it was her turn to confront us multiple Choice questions which taken together form the Scholastic aptitude test. I was scared to death she said. Christie a kaisers Lautem High school senior is one of millions of students in the United Stales and Over seas who have confronted the sat � two hour experience that has been Analysed criticized and utilized for More than 50 years. In the United Stales said a spokesman for the department of defense depend ends schools High school principals arc hired and fired because of sat scores but Christie and other Dodds seniors have their own concerns about the lest. They agonize Over their scores even when they re Well above the National aver age convinced that rejection slips from the colleges and universities will inevitably result from ices than St Larlest scores. The sat is split into math and verbal portions. The top score in each Section is of but students usually Combine the scores when discussing their results. Easing Dodds students sat trauma usually is left to High schoo Counselor. Ramstein High school s Jerry Engleson has More than 10 years experience in dealing with ii. The kids Are often in Shock when hey gel their results he said. The people who Are most interested in sat scores arc the parents. The second most interested Are the students and the third most interested arc the  High school Counselor spend much of their time trying to convince students that colleges and univer going to College Sites look Tor far More than sat Scon in dry cumin ing who will be admitted. Admissions people look at Grade Point averages and course selections said Ramstein High school Counselor Jim Funk. They re also interested in activities students Bave and Only use the sat As an equal  Counselor advise College bound students to take the sat in the Spring semester of their Junior year leaving open the option of retaking it As a senior if scores Don t meet expectations. Although die test is offered five times during the school year Engleson discourages students from Mak ing sat taking a habit. Students think that if they Lake it again their scores will improve. I d say there s Only a so so  costs associated with making the sat can add up. Dodds students must pay a is surcharge in addition to the $ 12 registration fee each time they take the test. Kaisers Lautem High school Counselor Bob Richert said that Dodds officials were unsuccessful in persuading the College Board which is responsible for the lest to end the surcharge. As a group Dodds students arc heavy users of the sat. School officials said that 48 percent to 38 percent of them go immediately from High schools to College or universities bul that nearly 70 percent of seniors take the test. College Cata logs provide an Overall picture of what each institution of higher learning look for in sat performance. At exclusive institutions such As Ivy league schools the combined average sat score of of Rosaman class can exceed 1,200. Military Academy admissions and Roth Kotol warships also require higher scores. If you Haven t got 1,100 or 1,200, the academic will look askance said Jim Harding a retired colonel who Heads Ramstein High school s Junior Roth pro Gram. With lets you d seller be an All Dodds Quad  for students applying for Roth scholarships a score of 300 or better on each portion of the Tell u near necessity Harding said. Throughout Dodds students averaged 474 on the math and 476 on the verbal portions of the left for the 1986-87 school year. Later figures Are unavailable. But for All the computations and analyses Engleson said it s each student s experience thai matters. You always try to bring in some personal experience when you re dealing with kids about sat scans he said. My oldest son look the lest and got 1,440 and wondered if that was Good enough. The youngest got 800, look in again and got 900. And both were very successful College  Blacks mexican americans improve scores by the los Angeles times scores by Black and mexican american students on the Scholastic aptitude test for College Entrance Rose slightly again this year continuing a decade of improvement bul remaining Well below the National aver age according to the College Board. The average Black student scored 737 Points Oul of a possible 1,600 this Yean that is nine Points higher than last year and 51 More than in 1978. Mexican americans averaged 810, up seven Points from last year and 38 Over the last decade. The National average for All students dropped two Points this year to 904. The first dip in eight years. The College Board which administers the less described the changes As insignificant although several Educa Tion officials expressed disappointment Over a Lack of marked improvement. Outgoing . Secretary of education William j. Bennett blamed schools for the drop in National scores no medal for America in this news. I said in april that the absolute level at which our improvements Are taking place is unacceptably Low. Today in s a Bil lower and Stilt not acceptable. Mon team. Back into train  Joseph Allen director of admissions at the univer sity of California Santa Cruz said he was disturbed that National averages Are 90 paints below those of 20 years ago. It is certainly a sign of a failing education system he said. However one reason for the lower scores is that Many More minority and Tower income students arc taking the lest he said. Sat averages by ethnic group 1978-1985,1987-1988 race american Indian asian american Black mexican american puerto rican other hispanic White other All students All men All women sat verbal 1978 1979 1980 1961 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Mana Nana Nana Nana 431 387 386 390 391 388 388 390 392 401 396 396 397 398 395 398 404 332 330 330 332 341 339 342 346 370 370 372 373 377 375 376 382 349 345 350 353 360 356 358 368 Nana Nana mama Mana 446 444 442 442 444 443 445 449 399 393 394 388 392 386 38s 391 429 427 424 424 426 425 426 431 433 431 428 430 431 430 433 437 437 435 435 425 433 420 418 421 420 420 425 426 425 422 sat mathematical 419 421 426 425 424 425 427 428 a 510 511 509 513 513 514 519 518 a 354 358 360 362 3e6 369 373 376 a 402 410 413 415 416 4t7 420 426 a 338 388 394 39s 403 403 405 409 Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana 485 483 482 483 483 4s4 487 490 a 450 447 449 447 449 446 450 448 a 468 467 466 466 467 468 471 475 475 476 476 494 493 491 492 493 493 495 499 501 500 498 444 443 443 443 443 445 449 452 451 453 455 sat scores by ethnic group Are not available for 1986 Dud to changes in the student descriptive  Edo that students Complete when they Register pc the tests. Tho do question on ettarae background was changed to include the other hispanic cat agcy Lor 1987, american Indian asian american Black mexican american puerto rican other hispanic White other All students All men All women 393 393 405 408 351 353 379 382 360 355367 387 447 445 405 410 430 428 432 435 521 522 377 384 424, 428 400 402 432 433489 490 455 460 critics Long have said the sat favors White and Middle class teen age Rand same colleges and in Ives Sili rely less on the scores when evaluating minorities compared with Whites. The College Board has denied the allegations of unfairness and pointed to the boost in scores by Nukari lies. I am very pleased by the steady Progress shown on the sat in the past decade by ethnic minorities said Donald m. Stewart president or the College Board. But he added if the Gap Between minority Ana majority test scares is Ever to be closed improvements in the elementary and secondary education of minority students must be  Stewart also stressed hat 1,134,364 students look the sat in 1988,5 percent More than the year before and 13 percent More than in 1986, larger numbers of test takers usually mean lower National averages according to the College Board. So the increase in minority scores along with the number of minority lest taken is especially noteworthy officials said. The test is divided into verbal and mathematical portions with each pan scored on a scale of 200 to 800. The National average verbal score fell two Points this year to 428 and math remained at 476. Average verbal scores for women fell by three Points id 422, while their male Rose two Points to 455. Men averaged 435 in verbal for the second year in a Row while they dropped two Points in math to 498. Blacks on average earned 353 in verbal and 3s4 in male up two Points and seven Points respectively from 1987, for mexican americans the avenges were 382 in verbal and 428 in math up three and four Points each. Asian americans scored 403 in verbal and 522 in math three Points and one Point higher. Whites on the average dropped two potato in verbal to 44 a and went up one Point to 490 in math Tail year the 1988 results of the american College testing program also have been released and they mirrored the tiny Overall change of its larger rival the sat. The National composite score in English math social stud ies and natural sciences was 18.8, up 0.1 Over 1987, said David s. Crockett vice president of Public affairs of act the Iowa City Iowa organization that admin ister the test. Act Are scored from i to 36, and the data Are based on scores of 842,322 High school seniors who look the lest. The slight increase in the act National average was the result of better performances by minorities because the Anglo scores remained at 19.6, be said. In the 1988 act ethnic averages included Black 13.6, up of mexican american 15.7, up 0.3 and asian american Pacific islander 19.9, up 0.1