Drop in SAT scores biggest in 31 years

AP ^ | 8/29/06 | Justin Pope

[RushCrush]

The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice.

Fatigue wasn't to blame, the College Board insisted, even though this year's class was the first to take a new version of the exam which added an essay. It now takes an average of three hours and 45 minutes to complete the test, not counting breaks, up from three hours previously.

The results come several months after numerous colleges reported surprisingly low SAT scores for this year's incoming college freshmen. The nonprofit College Board, which had said scores would be down this year, released figures Tuesday showing combined critical reading and math skills fell seven points on average to 1021.

[BurbankKarl]

LOL is to ROFL

as

LMAO is to TTYL

[hosepipe]

[ The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice. ]

Obviously, The results are closer to the truth.. meaning its actually WORSE THAN THEY ARE REPORTING...

[pabianice]

If yu can reed this, thank the NEA

[pabianice]

released figures Tuesday showing combined critical reading and math skills fell seven points on average to 1021.

Let's not forget that, based upon the "re-norming" done since 1968, this is really a combined score of 821, which, in 1968, would have gotten you accepted nowhere. The NEA should be indicted for child abuse.

[BohDaThone]

All of the "re-norming" is taken into account in reporting past scores. If you go to the SAT web site, you'll see scores going back to 1967. The old scores are given as higher than they would have been reported back then -- in effect, renormed to be comparable.

So, scores have declined this year, but it isn't true that they are 80 ponts or so worse (the average "renorming" amount)than in the 80s and earlier. (I think the "renorming occurred around 1995).

[BohDaThone]

All of the "re-norming" is taken into account in reporting past scores. If you go to the SAT web site, you'll see scores going back to 1967. The old scores are given as higher than they would have been reported back then -- in effect, renormed to be comparable.

So, scores have declined this year, but it isn't true that they are 80 ponts or so worse (the average "renorming" amount)than in the 80s and earlier. (I think the "renorming occurred around 1995).

[Labyrinthos]

You must have lived in Cleveland. Or possibly Chicago, or even Buffalo........LOL!!!!

Albany!

[underbyte]

I have my daughter(5th grade) in a private catholic school the only reasonable alternative to the local disaster of public ed.

Still they are so substandard as not to be believed. Her teachers all in their early 20's are the next generation product of a liberal education. 1+ year behind in math, History is so convoluted with multiculturalism she knows nothing about the Revolutionary war, Civil war, Christopher Columbus etc. The teacher's English skills are so limited she teaches my daughter to mispronounce words driving me to hysterical fits.

when I confront the Principal the reply is "If you are not happy take your daughter to another school" As there is a waiting list and no viable alternative I am stuck.

What Galls me to no end is that I pay for it in public taxes, Privately out of pocket, and now I am paying a third time by home schooling the gaps in her education.

The other half of the problem is the parents, they complain if the kids get to much homework, is too hard because it interferes with their leisure time.

Three generations to educate everybody Off the farm - Move over third world - only one generation to make peasants out of everyone

[MadelineZapeezda]

In the 70's we had the SAT and the PSATs (preliminary). Can't remember if youcould keep the highest of the 2 scores.

[Mogollon]

Solution: Abolish the dept of education, open up school choice including vouchers, give schools incentives to hire only non-NEA teachers.

[DustyMoment]

Actually, I wasn't being entirely sarcastic.

No, I didn't mean to imply that you were. I understood your intentions and I agree 100% with you. These kids live in a delusional world today and they are going to be (justifiably) very angry at us when they figure out just what a disservice we have done them.

[Mike Darancette]

Fatigue wasn't to blame, the College Board insisted, even though this year's class was the first to take a new version of the exam which added an essay.

Imagine the kiddies writing an essay using the style of cell phone text massages. FWIW, LOL.:)

[sten]

Especially in your case, as your grammer sucks. The apostrophe as you used it in "Indian's" is incorrect in this instance. You should have left it off - it indicates the possessive, not the plural. The plural of Indian is Indians.

Don't you just hate when you post a nitpick... only to have it bite you in the ass. Next time, spend more time in the dictionary and stop playing so much with your apostrophe.

Meanwhile, the content of my post stands uncontested.

[Calvin Locke]

I heard on some talk show the past couple of days that you get 200 points for just showing up.

Isn't that enough?

I know. Walter Williams, Friday, filling in for Rush. Colleges are just dropping the requirement,
at least for "some" "students".

Make that for "some" people that can get the gub'mint or parents to pay the overpriced freight.

[BelegStrongbow]

Good thing we who have always held the teacher's union in disrepute have left a good, clean and wide paper trail agains the whole malarkey.

[Blessed]

>In the 70's we had the SAT and the PSATs (preliminary). Can't remember if youcould keep the highest of the 2 scores.,

The PSAT is important because National Merit Scholars are determined based on this test.

The College Board routinely sends all scores to Colleges you designate.You have no choice as to splitting scores and combining best math with best verbal.The colleges make this choice based on their standards.It is believed many will do this and I have never heard of someone being penalized by a lower score the second time around.

[DustyMoment]

Agreed!!

[Physicist]

Ahem. It's g-r-a-m-m-a-r.

"Do you herd sheep?" my Grandma asked,
My Grandpa leaped in fright,
"That Grammer's wrong," to me he cried,
"HAVE you heard sheep is right!"

--Walt Kelly

[Always Right]

Is this the result of the "No Child Left Behind" policy?

Actually, it is a sign that the policy is working. The top and bottom are becoming more equal. Soon all will be equally dumb and life will be fair.

[pleikumud]

Government should get out of the education business. All schools should be private, from K-12 to college to grad schools.
Counties and states should start by selling their public schools to private education companies. This would cut local taxes in half, putting money into parents' pockets to make their own education choices.