Stuyvesant’s average score on the 2007 Preliminary SAT (PSAT) dropped in all three sections for both juniors and sophomores compared to the results of the 2006 PSAT.
Last year’s juniors (class of 2008) scored a cumulative average of 202.4 in the Mathematics, Critical Reading and Writing sections, while this year’s juniors (class of 2009) averaged 199.5, a 2.9-point drop.
This year’s sophomore’s (class of 2010) scored 183.3, which is 3.6 points lower than the average of last year’s sophomores (class of 2009).
Principal Stanley Teitel said that the declines in average score were not part of a downward trend. “Come back in five years and talk to me about trends,” he said.
“It doesn’t really matter statistically,” Assistant Principal English Eric Grossman said. “There’s always some fluctuation every year.”
Despite the lower performance by juniors this year, the average is still significantly higher than the national average of 147.
PSAT scores determine eligibility into the National Merit Scholarship Competition. Still, some students feel the test is ineffective in evaluating student performance and potential.
“It measures what matters least,” sophomore Victor Ma said. “They’re just measuring our test-taking abilities, not our intelligence.”
Teitel presented the statistics at a Student Leadership Team meeting on Tuesday, December 18. He attributed the lower PSAT marks to Stuyvesant’s higher acceptance rate, saying that some students may be coming to Stuyvesant with less preparation in middle school.
The cutoff score on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, required for acceptance to Stuyvesant, for the class of 2008 was 576. Since then, the cutoff has been lowered to about 560.
The class of 2009 was the first class required to take the PSAT as both sophomores and juniors. From sophomore year to junior year, the class of 2009’s average performance on the test improved by 12.6 points.
“It suggests the instruction they’re receiving in both subjects is helping them become stronger readers, writers, and mathematicians,” Grossman said.