OXFORD – School officials say one of the keys to upping student SAT reading scores is to stock classroom shelves with more nonfiction books.

“The shift to more nonfiction is really important,” said Curriculum Director Kathy Elkins. “It better reflects the type of reading required in the world of work.”

The discussion was prompted by release of SAT results that show need for improvement in reading and math scores by Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School students. The SAT is considered a college readiness test.

Because the high stakes testing was new for more than 50 percent of the students, local educators said the scores reflect the need to make some changes in instruction and intervention methods and also to change the way they take these types of tests.

“We feel our students are less prepared than they need to be and that’s what the SATs show,” high school Principal Ted Moccia said.

Although students made Maine’s “adequate yearly progress” standard in both reading and mathematics, after not reaching it in the first year of tests scores, the 2007 SAT scaled score data still showed that reading was three points below state average, writing was two points below state average and math one point below state average,

Local educators are making changes to raise those scores.

“We’re trying to have much more flexible reading for kids,” Brewster Burns of the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School English department told SAD 17 directors last week when the scores were unveiled. “Kids are given many more options this year. I think the amount of reading kids are doing has increased tremendously because of that.”

Elkins said that literacy experts suggest 50 to 60 percent of the reading materials for students should be nonfiction. Now, most students are reading a variety of literature, mostly fiction. Research shows that male students are much more engaged when involved in nonfiction reading, she said.

School officials are taking actions to improve test scores including double blocks for ninth-grade students below grade level in literacy, and extra support for at-risk students.

Future steps include fine-tuning interventions during the school year and in the summer, and adding an additional literacy specialist for fiscal 2008.

Adjustments are also being made to the math courses including the identification of gaps in performance and identifying interventions when needed, evaluation and possible revisions of Math Learning Lab, investigating a senior math course development and a double math block for ninth-graders below grade level for fiscal 2008.

Moccia said that changes have to be made. “Nothing can be held as a sacred cow. We have to get our kids performing at state average or better.

Last year, the Department of Education mandated that all Maine high school juniors would be required to take the SAT tests in reading, writing and mathematics. The test, which was introduced in 1926 as one of the first standardized, multiple choice tests, was developed to show if a student had an “aptitude” or was deemed capable for college, according to information from the Department of Education. The word aptitude was changed to assessment in 1994, and several years later the name was changed to the initials “SAT.” It is considered a “reasoning” test as opposed to an “achievement” test by educators.

“This is a test of college readiness,” Superintendent Mark Eastman told school board members when concern was expressed about some of the scores.