Just 3 percent of Paterson, N.J., students who took SATs deemed ready for college

Only 3.2 percent of the students who took the SATs in New Jersey’s third-largest city of Paterson are considered ready for college.

Rosie Grant, executive director of the Paterson Education Fund, said the odds are against Paterson students.

“These kids who are now seniors have gone through seven superintendents in their tenor at Paterson public schools and with every administration change, there’s a reworking of what the schools are supposed to be doing,” she told a local Fox affiliate.

To be considered college-ready, students have to score at least a 1500 out of 2400 on the standardized test. The Daily Caller notes that you receive 600 points just for signing your name. Paterson’s cumulative mean SAT score this year was 1120.

Paterson boasts some 50 public schools with more than 24,000 total students in all grades, The Daily Caller reported. Of 594 Paterson students who took the SAT this year, the College Board found that just 19 scored high enough to be considered college-ready, or 3.2 percent. That number is down from 4.3 percent of students who took the SAT last year, the Paterson Press reported.

The district’s spokeswoman, Terry Corallo, downplayed the significance of the scores, saying that multiple factors are at play when determining college readiness, NJ.com reported.

Corey Teague, a school board member, said he believes the administration is “hiding something.”

“They like to brag that the scores are up when they’re not,” he said.