The College Board released SAT test scores for the state and nation yesterday. North Carolina’s average combined score dropped by five points. The national average score is at its lowest point in the last decade.
Rather than acknowledge that North Carolina is following a nationwide trend, Superintendent of Public Instruction took a different angle. According to an article published in the News & Observer,
In the SAT score drop “you see the impact of lack of resources for certain initiatives,” such as early childhood education services, extra help for struggling students and issues such as teacher retention, said State Schools Superintendent June Atkinson, a Democrat.
“All these factors chip away” at the state’s ability to make as much progress as it needs to, Atkinson said Thursday.
I’m sure the intention was to take a swipe at the Republican-led General Assembly and perpetuate the “war on public education” narrative. But she is actually throwing her own political party under the bus.
You see, those who took the SAT in the last year or so began their schooling under Democratic control of state government in the early 2000s. If they did not receive early childhood education service or extra help, it was because Democrats failed to provide “resources for certain initiatives” for children as they moved through elementary and middle school. According to her thinking, the Democrats’ failure “chipped away” at these students and led to a drop in SAT scores.
At this point, it is impossible to identify why SAT scores dropped. As much as I would love to blame the Democrats, I will reserve judgement until we have empirical evidence that suggests a cause.
