INDIANA SAT SCORES IMPROVE

SAT scores for Indiana's high school class of 2005 improved by 5 points over last year to reach their highest-ever mark, but figures released Tuesday show the state still lags behind the national average.

Indiana students improved by 3 points to 504 on the verbal section of the test and by 2 points to 508 in math for an average cumulative score of 1,012.

That trend was mirrored by many Northwest Indiana students, even though some districts scored below the state average.

In Merrillville, Superintendent Anthony Lux reported that SAT scores of the town's high school students rose 10 points in math to 485 and six points in verbal to 476.

Lux said students are taking tougher courses and challenging themselves. He said the emphasis on state test-taking and remediation has had a positive effect, too.

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NO HELP WITH UNIFORM COSTS FOR GARY CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS

Gary resident Lasandre Polk has four childrena three who need school uniforms.

Her two seventh grade boys and her fifth grade daughter attend the Charter School of the Dunes. Polk said she isn't sure how much uniforms cost at retail outlets.

“The last time I bought the uniforms, I got them from the thrift store,” she said.

She was able to keep her school-age children in uniforms for under $10 but her success was fleeting.

“It didn't do me any good because my son's pants split up the middle because they were already used. I patched them up,” she said.

Inside the north office of the Calumet Township Trustee recently, Polk was talking with a woman who tried to help her. She was told because her children attended a charter school, they could not get any help through the uniform assistance program.

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