(11/1) The number of Frederick County Public Schools’ 2019 graduates who participated in SAT assessments rose significantly compared to 2018. More than 873 additional students took the exam in the 2018-2019 school year, according to data released by the College Board.

The rise in the number of test takers brings FCPS to a 95 percent participation rate compared to 64 percent of the district’s class of 2018. "Increased participation was due to the SAT school-day administration for all FCPS juniors, implemented in spring 2018," says FCPS State Assessment and Accountability Supervisor Deborah Gilmartin.

Adding SAT administration on a school day was purposeful to increase access to post-secondary education for all students. The FCPS participation rate far exceeded Maryland’s rate of 77 percent." Even with 18 points higher participation than Maryland, FCPS continues to outpace scores state and nationwide.

Frederick County’s combined score was 1,058, which is 17 points higher than Maryland’s score of 1,041 and 19 points higher than the nation’s score of 1,039. The FCPS Evidenced-Based Reading/Writing score was 529. This is 3 points higher than Maryland’s score of 526 and 5 points higher than the nation’s score of 524.

The FCPS math score was 529. This is 14 points higher than Maryland’s and the nation’s scores of 515. We are very excited to learn that our successful efforts to increase students’ participation in SAT testing resulted in test scores that continue to exceed both state and national averages. SAT scores are a very critical part in college admittance and for many scholarship applications, so we are very glad to see how well Frederick County students are doing!

It is that time that seniors are starting to apply for and be accepted to colleges for next fall. With that in mind, students should start looking for scholarships. One of the first places that parents and students should look is through the Community Foundation of Frederick County. Their website is at hwww.frederickcountygives.org.

Most of their application process begins in January. For those students that choose a school in Maryland, they should apply for Delegate and Senatorial Scholarships. Each member of the delegation gets a certain amount of money to fund scholarships for students from their districts. For the Thurmont-Emmitsburg area, your Senator is Michael Hough and your Delegates are Jesse Pippy, Dan Cox and Barrie Ciliberti. Go to their websites and check their scholarship application process.

Do not forget to check with local churches and civic clubs as many of them also have money to give. There are many scholarships that go unclaimed every year. You should also check with the guidance office at your school as they may be aware of other scholarships that are available. Looking for scholarships is a lot of work but work that will pay off in reducing the amount that you have to pay for school.