Testing the SAT.

Unlike the thousands of others who took the Scholastic Assessment Test during the past year, Ann Lawrence is not being deluged this winter with unsolicited entreaties from colleges near and far, all vying for her freshman application. Given her score of 1260, that might seem surprising.

In fact, Lawrence is the superintendent of the Saddle Brook schools. She completed the college-entrance exam last June at nearby Somerville High School to better appreciate how her district might help students improve their performance on the widely used exam.

In the months since her novel experience, Lawrence says she has been startled to discover how many teachers and parents express fear about the SAT. Too often, that feeling is conveyed to the students--a situation she hopes to remedy.