CKSD average on SAT

"The Central Kitsap School District is only a few steps behind the rest of the state when it comes to college aptitude tests and preparatory classes. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, presented at the Sept. 13 school board meeting, show Central Kitsap less than 10 points behind the state average in both the verbal and mathematics sections.Advanced Placement test scores fell slightly, but remained strong.It really doesn't average out to anything, said Central Kitsap School District Assistant Superintendent Steve Chappuis. It's one of those instances where one building has something to celebrate while another doesn't.While Washington SAT scores have steadily increased the past six years, Central Kitsap's have fluctuated. CK scored above the state average last year and in 1997, but dipped this year. The district averaged 522 on verbal and 520 on math, slightly behind the state averages of 526 on verbal and 528 on math.When we say it's a mixed bag, we really mean that, Chappuis said.Central Kitsap, however, remains above the national SAT average. National averages were 505 (verbal) and 514 (math). AP classes, however, gave the district much to brag about. The number of students taking AP classes has continued to rise at a rate of almost 100 additional students a year. Although district enrollment has leveled off, more students are taking AP courses than ever before.The number of students taking AP classes at Klahowya Secondary School, for instance, have more than doubled ever year since the school opened in 1997.This really shows how the schools are doing, Chappuis said. There is a lot of hard work at the building level.And the students are doing well, too. Seventy-one percent of CKSD students who took AP tests received a score of 3 or higher (the grade necessary to receive credit at most colleges and universities). At Olympic High School, 77 percent of students taking exams passed them.It shows that high schools are really challenging the students to take the tough classes, Chappuis said. "

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