Central Regional School Officials Look For Ways To Beef Up SAT Scores

Central Regional school officials are looking at ways to boost SAT scores and help struggling students stay in school.

Board of Education members discussed a variety of academic improvement initiatives at the May 19 board meeting. There is some good news: For the first time, all graduating seniors passed the HESPA test this year, schools superintendent Triantafillos "Tom" Parlapanides said.

Board Member Susan Cowdrick updated the board on the “Twilight Program,” which benefits students in danger of dropping out of school. 

Parlapinades said the Twilight program provides unique learning opportunities for struggling students. It allows teachers to provide assistance to students at night when necessary, assists students in credit completion, and gives them the opportunity to take advanced placement courses online.

“Still in the infancy stage,” Parlapanides said.

The Twilight Program's goal is to reduce the failure rate, aided by grants and scholarships. Parlapanides also wants to begin a mentoring program to pare the dropout rate.

Parlapanides expressed concern over low SAT scores and proposed offering free PSAT scoring to students in October of their junior year, through the use of choice funds and grant money. This would allow students to identify their strengths and weaknesses before taking the SAT, giving them better insight on preparation for SAT testing. 

The PSAT scoring would be made available through Central Regional high school’s guidance office. Parlapanides encourages all students to take the SATs.

“Is there anything on the back burner about paying for the AP test?” board member Stephanie Jensen asked.

At over $70 per test, Jensen is concerned about the cost. If there’s extra money available through a grant or select funds, Jensen said she would prefer that students did not have to pay for the tests.

Board members suggested financial incentives such as reimbursement for high scores on the AP test, which all students of AP classes are required to pay for and take. 

Parlapanides said students are required to take the test to avoid enrollment of students solely motivated by the extra points to their GPA students get for taking an AP course. 

Board President Keith Buscio said he is “open to the idea of paying for it” depending on how much the district would have to spend.