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District presents testing data as SAT math benchmarks fall; AP participation rises
Summary
Administrators reported a drop in students meeting SAT math benchmarks (from about 50% to 43%) tied in part to the new all-digital adaptive SAT; staff said AP participation is up and the district will expand practice testing and interventions.
Exeter Regional Cooperative School District administrators presented assessment data Oct. 15, saying the recent all-digital administration of the SAT and its adaptive format contributed to lower math benchmark results.
Lyle Hamill, curriculum administrator, told the board that the percentage of students meeting the College Board’s math benchmark fell from roughly 50% last year to about 43% in the most recent administration. He said the district’s analysis shows the drop mirrors statewide trends and may reflect the test’s adaptive modules and differences between practice materials and the live assessment.
"We recognize that there is a decrease in last year's percentage of students who met the benchmark from 50 percent last year to 43 percent in this most recent administration," Hamill told the board. He said math proficiency declines were observed locally, statewide and nationally and that adaptive digital modules—especially more-complex word problems in later sections—likely raised difficulty compared with practice tests.
Administrators outlined steps to address the change: increase student access to official practice tests in the College Board Bluebook app (the same app used for digital AP testing), expand quarter-long, credit-bearing intervention courses for students needing targeted support, and incorporate findings into a district competency review scheduled for next year.
Hamill and Principal Mike Monahan also reviewed other measures: the district reported a drop in New Hampshire SAS science results at the high-school level and attributed part of that decline to testing timing and higher parental opt-outs; AP participation increased even as overall high-school enrollment declined, with the district continuing to see many students earn scores of 3 or higher.
At the middle-school level, CMS Principal Drew Bairstow said i-Ready reading scores show about 55% of students meeting the benchmark and described adjustments to assessment timing to reduce overlap with state testing. The board discussed interest in tracking students’ growth across multiple administrations (PSAT, SAT and other tests) and requested follow-up on comparative data with nearby Seacoast districts.
No formal policy action was taken; administrators said they would report back as interventions and competency-review work proceed.
