Officials bemoan disparity of SAT reports

Trying to compare school systems by SAT scores is unfair, Columbia County school officials agreed during a Thursday pre-legislative breakfast.

But the officials said they might be looking to standardize the way SAT scores are reported.

Speaking at Thursday's breakfast gathering, which featured state and county legislators from Columbia County, state Rep. Sue Burmeister, R-Augusta, said state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox is looking for a way to standardize the criteria by which SAT scores are reported.

"I think we need to start looking at apples and apples," she said.

The Richmond County School System recently captured attention after it was made apparent that the system limited its number of SAT takers by denying an identification code to students who didn't meet certain criteria. The code marks where the student attends school. Without the code on the test, the SAT score isn't counted against the school's overall SAT score.

Columbia County School Board member-elect Michael Sleeper attended the meeting, sponsored by the Government Affairs Committee and the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and said he doesn't think legislation is required. But he said a policy change is needed.

"I don't think it is fair that we compare school systems that don't share the same reporting mechanism," he said.

Burmeister also said school systems could soon benefit if the Republican-controlled state Legislature lifts restrictions on the way systems spend state funds.

"You know better than we do what programs require more funding than others," she said.

In addition, she hopes Republicans will lift the ban restricting classroom sizes.

"If a school is performing wonderfully with 20 to 22 students, then let them do that," she said.