Delaware 11th-graders take state-funded SAT

Juniors in Delaware public high schools are taking the SAT today, funded by the state as part of the $119-million Race to the Top education improvement plan.  

Students are able to take the test in their own schools during the school day.  About 97% of 11th-graders had registered to take the test.  Last year, 36% of juniors took the SAT.

“The school day administration also creates a college-going-culture in our schools and minimizes test-day stress, because students are in a familiar location with familiar staff,” says Delaware Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery.

The Delaware Department of Education has contracted with College Board for four years, totaling $1.8-million to administer the SAT annually to all 11th-graders in public high schools.  The cost comes out to about $47 per student. 

Delaware is the only state that has chosen to handle administration of the SAT in this fashion.  Proponents of the plan say handling the test this way reduces stress upon the students and eliminates concerns about paying to register for the test, having to arrange transportation to another building on a weekend, and possible conflicts with part-time jobs and family responsibilities.

Delaware made college readiness a part of its successful application for Race to the Top federal funding.  The SAT results will be part of the Department of Educations’ overall effort to measure academic achievement.