For Release January 21, 1999

 SD Board of Regents Hear Results of Fall 1998 Proficiency Examinations

VERMILLION-The South Dakota Board of Regents, at its regular business meeting on the University of South Dakota campus, heard a report today on the results of the fall administration of the proficiency examinations taken by sophomores enrolled in the six regental universities.

The passing rates for students taking the proficiency examination for the first time in Fall 1998 were 98.9% in math, 98.9% in science reasoning, 97.0% in reading and 91.1% in writing skills.

South Dakota university students continue to score higher than the national average on most sections of the proficiency exam. "Science and math are the areas in which our students show the most strength," said Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry. The university system average for science reasoning was 62.1 compared to the national average of 60.7 and the system average for math was 59.4 with 57.9 being the national average.

"This is our third year of administering the proficiency exam. It has been a tremendous tool in measuring the value we add to the education of our students. We are now able to recognize those students that require further instruction and can offer them remediation. And by comparing our student scores to national norms we are able to assess our curriculum to better meet the needs of our students," said Regent Pat Lebrun, Chair of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs.

"The Regents will continue to review the results of the proficiency examinations as a means to determine the strengths and weaknesses of our university system. It is these self checks that ensure superior education in South Dakota," said Regents President James O. Hansen.

A system-wide total of 1,425 rising juniors took the proficiency exam in Fall 1998. Only 1% of the students who were required to take the exam did not as compared to 2.4% in Spring 1998 and 4.1% in 1997. In addition to the students testing for the first time, there were 125 students who were retesting in one or more areas of the exam. More than two-thirds of these students obtained acceptable scores. The remaining students may retest in the Spring. 

Attached are tables displaying the comparisons of South Dakota students to their reference groups.

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