2016 SAT Statewide Assessment and Benchmarks

The New Hampshire Department of Education (NH DOE) has released preliminary state-level results from the 2016 SAT statewide assessment. It also announced that achievement level benchmark indicators for the 2016 College Board’s SAT School Day and SAT College and Career Readiness (CCR) Benchmarks have been completed.

In 2015, New Hampshire partnered with the College Board to replace the grade 11 Smarter Balanced Assessment with the SAT School Day. Commissioner Barry stated, "New Hampshire is committed to promoting excellence and equity in our K-12 schools. The partnership with the College Board signified an important step in the Department and our High Schools' commitment to reduce standardized test time for public high school students."

This past spring, in the first statewide administration of the redesigned College Board SAT, over 90 percent of our 11th graders participated in the assessment with no cost to families. This represents a 20 percent increase in our grade 11 student participation in the SAT, and an eight percent increase in high school participation over the previous year's Smarter Balanced Assessment in the same grade.

"Having local schools offer the College Board SAT as the statewide assessment for 11th graders helps increase access to higher education and reduce standardized test time for our students, and I am proud to have signed a bipartisan bill last year to streamline that process," Governor Hassan said. "By continuing to take steps to strengthen college- and career-readiness standards, we can help ensure that our young people are developing the skills and innovative thinking needed for success in 21st century jobs."

The SAT School Day, which covers English language arts (reading, writing) and mathematics, was redesigned to focus on what students are learning in the classroom and to give colleges a more accurate picture of student skills and knowledge. Preliminary SAT results indicate that approximately 67 percent of New Hampshire students met College and Career Readiness (CCR) Benchmarks in English language arts. This is an increase from 60 percent of students who took the Smarter Balanced Assessment in 2015 and met that benchmark. In mathematics, 41 percent of students met the CCR Benchmark; an increase from 37 percent of students who took the state assessment given in 2015.

Commissioner Barry stated, "School leaders and policy makers recognized the importance of giving all students the opportunity to participate in the SAT to assist with college and career goals. Information gathered from the SAT will also assist our high schools to continually improve instruction and guide our efforts in high school redesign focused on engaging students in their learning."

These results set a new baseline for New Hampshire representing the first year of the new assessment, and the first time that all grade 11 students participated in the SAT. The SAT benchmark scores represent a 75 percent likelihood of a student achieving at least a C grade in a first-semester, credit-bearing college course in a related subject. Preliminary subgroup data highlight the need for continued and concerted efforts to provide high quality instruction personalized to the needs of every learner.

During the SAT redesign process, leaders from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire collaborated with statewide panels that included classroom teachers and curriculum experts from both K-12 and NH Higher Education Institutions to set achievement level benchmarks. These benchmarks provide valuable information to students, families and schools about student performance on the state assessment. Information can be used to monitor student progress as well as to identify student strengths and weaknesses that can inform classroom instruction. The commissioners from the four states expressed strong agreement that all input collected during the process would be used to come to a consensus when setting the benchmarks indicators. The College Board and state commissioners will continue to monitor and evaluate achievement level benchmarks to ensure the levels remain aligned with the standards and expectations of each state.

The SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmarks set will provide a research-backed foundation for understanding readiness for first-year college coursework at two and four-year colleges across the country. The College and Career Readiness Benchmarks were set using data from a sample of more than 200 U.S. two-and four-year institutions and show the average likelihood of success in entry-level, subject-specific college courses. The benchmarks provide a representative – but not exhaustive – picture of student readiness for entry-level, credit-bearing college courses in these colleges across the country.

Commissioner Barry stated, "We encourage all students to continue pushing the bar above and beyond the SAT benchmark, because the more prepared they are for college and careers, the more opportunities they will have for success."

Finalized school level SAT data will be published with all other statewide assessment data on the New Hampshire School and District Profiles in October.

For more information, please contact Dr. Scott Mantie scott.mantie@doe.nh.gov or (603) 271-3844.