AUGUSTA – The U.S. Department of Education has given full approval to the state’s use of the augmented SAT test to measure achievement of Maine’s Learning Results standards.

“This validates what we have known from the start, that the SAT can serve as a viable assessment component and as a tool for raising post-secondary aspirations for our high school students,” Maine Commissioner of Education Susan A. Gendron said Wednesday.

The federal agency had previously challenged the state’s use of the SAT but in December 2006 gave Maine Approval Pending status. The tests are administered to all high school juniors.

The decision to use the SAT in place of the Maine Educational Assessment test in spring 2006 initially met with resistance from some lawmakers and educators, but Gendron said federal education officials have been strong in their encouragement of Maine’s efforts to promote postsecondary education. Having all students take the college admissions assessment test known as the SAT clearly supports that goal, she said.

Initial opposition has lessened as the participation rate has been consistently high and the results positive. In addition, anecdotal evidence has shown that students not previously considering postsecondary education chose to apply to college after participating in the SAT and seeing their scores.

“I can’t say enough about the hard work done by Maine high schools to successfully implement this assessment program. It has just been phenomenal,” Gendron said.

Maine made adjustments to its use of the SAT in 2007 in order to meet the federal government’s concerns by adding a mathematics augmentation of 18 additional questions administered separately from the SAT to assess understanding of some of Maine’s mathematics standards not adequately covered on the SAT.

States around the nation have been watching Maine to see if the use of the augmented SAT would be successful, and also watching to see if the U.S. Department of Education would support the move.

“The USDE held us to a very high standard in documenting the technical merits of our SAT-centered program, but they were fair and approachable in their dealings with us,” said Gendron. “We have a better assessment program because of their willingness to work with us.”

The commissioner noted that the April 24 letter of approval was especially well timed as all Maine 11th-graders are scheduled to take the SAT this Saturday.

In approving the SAT decision, Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education Kerri L. Briggs congratulated Maine on meeting the assessment requirements and complimented the Maine Department of Education’s staff for its work style throughout the review process.

“I congratulate you on meeting this important NCLB requirement; an assessment system [that] produces valid and reliable results is fundamental to a state’s accountability system,” Briggs informed Gendron in her letter. “I have concluded that the evidence demonstrates that Maine’s standards and assessment system satisfies [federal] requirements.”

Briggs also recommended that Maine continue to examine and strengthen the alignment of its high school assessments (the SAT assessment augmented with additional items) with the Maine academic content standards. Continued work in that area was already a part of Maine’s work plan, Gendron said.

There are now 30 states with fully approved assessment systems under the No Child Left Behind Act and another five states with approval expected soon.

wgriffin@bangordailynews.net

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