Gov. Sonny Perdue is entering the HOPE scholarship debate,
saying he wants state officials to consider adding a minimum SAT score to the
requirements high schoolers must meet to earn the award.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perdue argued that
forcing students to obtain a minimum SAT score to earn the HOPE scholarship ---
combined with the only current requirement, a B grade average --- would help
boost Georgia's dismal national education rankings.
At the same time, setting new requirements would keep some B students from
qualifying for HOPE, saving the program much-needed money, state figures show.
The Republican governor said other states with merit-based scholarships
include a minimum SAT or similar ACT test as a component. Critics have long
argued that grades are inflated in some Georgia schools to allow students to get
the B average needed for HOPE.
"Knowing that there is a perception of grade inflation, I got to thinking
about where our SAT scores would be today if, 10 years ago, they had been a
component of the HOPE scholarship," Perdue said Friday. "My theory is, we
wouldn't be 50th out of 50 states."
The question is, he said, "Are we willing to think of this [HOPE] as a
merit-based scholarship which addresses a serious issue of lagging behind in SAT
scores?"
Perdue stopped short of advocating adding the SAT as a requirement. But he
said he wants a state commission studying how to preserve HOPE to discuss the
issue.
The governor didn't suggest a minimum score. But he said even a low minimum
SAT would help create an incentive for some students to do better on the exam.
Proposing changes to the popular HOPE scholarship is always politically
dicey, but adding the SAT is especially so because there is a large gap in how
students from racial and ethnic groups score on the test. On average, whites and
Asians score much higher than African-Americans and Hispanics.
That could make adding the SAT, which is used by colleges to help determine
admissions, a tough sell.
"It would be devastating for minority students," said House Education
Chairman Bob Holmes (D-Atlanta), a member of the HOPE study commission who is
African-American. "Even the people at the College Board indicate you should not
use this as a reflection of how well students will do in college."
Some states with merit scholarships include some type of test results in the
equation. West Virginia's PROMISE Scholarship, for example, calls for high
school students to have at least a B average, like Georgia's HOPE. But it also
requires an ACT score of 21 or an SAT of 1000. That's slightly above Georgia's
SAT average.
Had a 1000 minimum SAT score been a criterion for HOPE in fall 2000, about
8,100 of 20,000 public college freshman scholars would not have qualified for
the award, according to University System of Georgia figures. About two-thirds
of those students --- roughly 5,000 --- are African-American.
"States have seen a much lower percentage of minority students qualifying
[for scholarships] when they add test scores," said Gary Henry, a Georgia State
University researcher who has studied the HOPE program for much of its 10-year
existence.
Perdue said that doesn't have to happen in Georgia.
"I think that's an example of falling prey to the bigotry of low expectations
to say that African-American children can't be successful on the SAT," the
governor said.
Georgia seniors last school year had an average SAT score of 984, the lowest
of any state. Georgia's white students scored a combined 1035. Georgia's black
students scored 852.
Currently, under HOPE, all students with a B average or higher receive full
tuition to a public college and money for books and fees.
Technical school students are also eligible, and students of Georgia private
colleges can receive a $3,000 annual grant.
Funding gap looms
The discussion about HOPE's future is taking place because officials estimate
that within a few years, the cost of the scholarships and pre-kindergarten
classes will far surpass the lottery revenues that pay for them.
The HOPE study commission hasn't come to any agreement about how to make up
the difference, although it has informally rejected tying the scholarship to
family income. Perdue also opposes that, he said in the interview.
Commission members have mentioned the idea of adding a minimum SAT score,
although there has been neither lengthy discussion nor a vote. Such a proposal
would likely have to be approved by the Legislature and/or the Georgia Student
Finance Commission, which administers HOPE.
State officials estimate creating a HOPE requirement of at least 1000 on the
SAT would save about $44 million. That alone would not plug an annual funding
gap expected to exceed $200 million a year by the end of the decade.
The governor said University System of Georgia data indicate that 10 freshmen
receiving HOPE in 2000 scored under 500 on the SAT. "You get 400 for signing
your name," he said. "That validates my theory that we have students out here
getting the HOPE scholarship that are taking the SAT . . . carelessly, not
caring what they get because it doesn't mean anything.
"I am committed to raising the SAT scores in this state," Perdue said. "It's
important. I am convinced we have better public education in Georgia than is
represented by 50th out of 50 in SAT scores.
"It's damaging to economic development. I think it's psychologically damaging
to our teachers, to our students, to all those involved in the educational
process."
Strong opposition
Most students with a HOPE and SAT scores below 1000 don't maintain their high
school B average in college, a requirement to retain the scholarship.
Researchers put the HOPE retention rate for those students at barely 25 percent
after their first year.
Still, there is likely to be strong opposition to the idea of linking SAT
scores to HOPE.
"Some people are not good test-takers,'' said Pamela Woodcock, an Acworth
parent who serves on the HOPE commission. "Why put another restriction on
something that should be earned over four years?"
Senate Higher Education Chairman Bill Hamrick (R-Douglasville), co-chairman
of the HOPE commission, was surprised Perdue raised the issue because it's so
controversial.
"I think it is something we should look at," Hamrick said. "If we focus on
SATs in our study and consider it as a possibility for HOPE eligibility, it
might raise the level of SAT scores in Georgia.
"We should discuss it, but we should be sensitive. . . . It's a tough
political thing to accomplish."
Henry, the GSU researcher, thinks the state should instead consider mandating
that prospective HOPE scholars pass end-of-course tests designed to determine
how well they've learned course material in high school.
"The SAT is not based on the curriculum that students take during high
school," he said. "I think the SAT [requirement] would undermine students'
current incentive to work hard all four years of high school and further, it
would potentially put the whole scholarship program in question."
However, Perdue emphasized that many students need more of an incentive to do
well on the SAT.
"Kids ought to take a certain pride in earning a HOPE scholarship, and I
think as they take that pride in earning the HOPE scholarship, they'll take
pride in their scores on the SAT, regardless of where they go to college," he
said.
Gov. Sonny Perdue wants a commission
studying the future of the HOPE scholarship to consider whether the state should
set a minimum SAT score for students seeking the award. Below are the SAT scores
for first-time freshmen HOPE scholars in fall 2000, the latest year for which
numbers are available.
.............HOPE
Score
range..scholars
1400-1600......498
1200-1399....3,369
1100-1199....3,396
1000-1099....4,564
900-999......4,369
800-899......2,618
700-799........858
600-699........213
500-599.........37
400-499.........10
Note:
The range on SAT scores runs from 400 to 1,600.
Source: University System of
Georgia
/ CHUCK BLEVINS / Staff