BY MICHELLE MILLER
STAFF WRITER
The Cherry Valley-Springfield Central
School is offering students an
evening SAT prep course for the first
time as part of the district’s mission
to enhance student performance.
According to Principal Barry Gould,
the school is offering a prep class
during the day, but only six students
were able to fit it into their schedules,
leaving out about 45 juniors.
``This is unacceptable,’’ he said.
``The bottom line is we want all of
our students to be accepted into
every college that they apply to and
to have competitive SAT scores.’’
Gould said the district does not
want its students to have a disadvantage
from those around the country.
The SAT is a globally recognized
college admission test that enables
students to show colleges what they
know and how well they can apply
that knowledge. It tests their knowledge
of reading, writing and math.
SAT tests are offered several times
a year and according to the College
Board, most students take the SAT
for the first time during the spring of
their junior year and a second time
during the fall of their senior year.
Almost all colleges and universities
use the SAT to make admission
decisions.
Gould said he encourages all of
CV-S’ juniors to participate in the
coarse, whether in the evening or
during the day. All the educational
research indicates that if students
take a prep course, scores will be
enhanced, he said.
According to Gould, the evening
course is being held on Mondays
until the date of the May 1 exam so
that information will remain fresh in
the students’ minds.
Thirty students, about two-thirds
of the junior class, are signed up for
the two-hour course that began last
Monday, said Gould. He said
students are given a short
break that included refreshments.
Gould said the district is
able to offer the prep course
for free. Text books are being
paid for through a grant and
the district is paying the two
teachers to teach the course,
according to Gould.
``We are placing a lot of
value on this and are working
around sports and other activities
so there are no conflicts,’’
said Gould.
``It will be interesting to see,
as a principal, the students’ SAT
scores after they have taken
the course,’’ added Gould.
According to Gould the prep
course is offered as an enrichment
program, meaning students
do not receive a grade or
credit for participation. Gould
said the course is designed
to teach the students to
analyze and answer questions
providing a framework in both
math and English. It also gives
students self confidence and
the feeling of being prepared,
added Gould.
Gould said he encourages
juniors to take the SAT in May
and then again in the fall as
seniors because scores typically
go up when students are
retested.
Thomas Good, one of the
two teachers who teaches SAT
prep at Cooperstown Central
School, said he began offering
a SAT preparation course in
1975 and has been teaching it
ever since. According to Good,
CCS has 43 students participating
in the course this year. He
said although the course has
evolved throughout the years,
there have been some years
where considerably fewer
students have participated.
``I do believe the course is a
benefit to CCS students,”
wrote Good in an e-mail. ``It is
much cheaper than Kaplan or
Princeton Review (other test
preparation options) courses
and it is offered right here in
Cooperstown.’’
The course, which includes
eight sessions, has cost CCS
students $135 the past few
years, according to Good. He
said the cost includes a SAT
prep book.
Good said the increase in
scores varies with individuals.
Those with high scores tend
not to show as large of an
increase as those with lower
scores, he said.
Good said the last time he
did a statistical study was a
number of years ago and the
average increase in score was
about 75 points more than
would be expected without
the curse. Some increase from
the PSAT (preliminary SAT) is
expected just because students
have been in school for
six more months, said Good.
He said some students do not
show any increase and may
actually show a decrease.
``We do encourage all our
students to take the SAT twice,
since a number of factors may
be at work here,’’ said Good.
Middle/High School
Principal Michael Cring said
the SAT is unlike any other
test high schools students
have been exposed to. He
said a few years ago the test
was reformatted and went
from being a three-hour
test to a five-hour exam. The
only tests that come close
in comparison are Regents,
said Cring.
