Bios, SAT Scores, and ASU Ranks

Two straight days of relevant education news. Weeks can go by without nary a peep from the writers of news on education and then we have two days in a row of interesting stuff.

First, on Monday, the Wall Street Journal contained an interesting story about how many companies like to hire graduates from top public universities including our very own Arizona State. Two main reasons were given for hiring from public schools. One was because recruiters found that graduates from top public universities " are often the among the most prepared and well rounded." ASU was particularly noticed for the second reason of forming strong ties between companies and universities.

Though a majority of the article emphasized the business ties to public colleges, an important part of the story was the effect recruiting had for students. Essentially, the article pointed out that this could be very useful information for potential students choosing a college. The example was given on how GE put their recruitment focus on forty schools to determine the 2,200 interns they hire each summer. If a student was confident of their major, then finding out which universities were shopped at by which companies could be helpful toward future jobs.

National SAT scores were discussed in today's Wall Street Journal. Reading remained the same at 501, math went up to 516 from 515, and writing fell from 493 to 492. The national SAT scores are the results of over 1.5 million students taking the exam.

The Bios Christian Academy scores compare well to the national SAT scores. Sorry, that is an understatement. Our scores look fantastic when compared to the national scores. This year's seniors have achieved the following averages as of August 19. Critical Reading: 583.3; Math: 570; Writing: 568.3. Our students have been blessed with really good scores that reflect their hard work as well as that of their parents and teachers, and the kindness of God.

The Journal also included an interesting paragraph to the article. It said, "The SAT results suggested that students who took a core curriculum in high school - defined as four years of English and three of math, science, and history - scored on average, 151 points higher than those who didn't take the curriculum." Our students all have those expectations plus an additional fourth year of math (and four years of Bible).

Clear academic expectations, teachers who know your child, small class sizes, supportive parents, and a challenging Core curriculum all assist in our students achieving scores 60 to 80 points higher than the rest of the nation.