HART DISTRICT SCORES WELL STUDENTS' SAT TALLIES BEST STATE AVERAGE.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Despite a slight drop from last year, the Hart district's Class of 2003 outscored the average California student and beat the national curve on the SAT, according to a report released Tuesday.

On the high-stakes college entrance exam, William S. Hart Union High School District graduating seniors had an average total score of 1,083 on the SAT I, down three points from 2002, according to the College Board, which owns the test.

Scores on the two-part exam broke down to an average of 532 for the verbal portion - a two-point increase from last year - and 551 in math, which dropped five points. Each section is graded on a 200-800 point scale.

The Hart district also outperformed both the state and national averages on the SAT. For 2003 graduates, statewide verbal and math scores were 499 and 519, respectively, and the nationwide average scores broke down to 507 in verbal and 519 in math.

Hart curriculum director Vicki Engbrecht is pleased with the overall performance, which has stayed steady over the years even as more students take the test. In 2003, about 1,031 Hart 12th-graders took the exam, up from 940 last year. Nationwide, some 1.4 million graduating seniors took the SAT during their high school career.

``I'm happy to see that at all the schools, we have a larger number of students who take the SATs,'' she said. ``And the scores have remained fairly stable.''

In fact, over a five-year period, the cumulative score on the exam increased by seven points - four in verbal and three in math.

``We try to encourage as many students as possible to fulfill all their (college preparatory) requirements and to take the SATs,'' Engbrecht said. ``Not all of them will end up going to a four-year university right out of high school, but we want them to be as prepared as possible.''

Of the district's four high schools, Hart High's graduating seniors have the highest average verbal score at 551. Saugus High scored highest in math with at 573.

Canyon High School had the lowest results of the four campuses, with 505 in verbal and 533 in math.

Of the colleges and universities where students requested their scores sent as part of their application, more than 40 percent indicated University of California, Los Angeles, as one of their choices. UCLA is followed by UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Irvine and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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Source: William S. Hart Union High School District