MATH SAT Scores Reach 36-Year High

AP ^ | 8-26-03

[dogbyte12]

The College Board, which owns the nation's most popular college entrance exam, said Tuesday that this year's high school graduates had an average cumulative score of 1,026 points on the SAT, up six points from 2002. Both the average math (519) and verbal (507) scores were up three points from last year.

[dogbyte12]

Bully for our youngsters!

[LS]

Even though we know that the tests were "lowered" about six years ago, this is still better news than "scores are falling." Is it too early to say, "No Child Left Behind" is working???

[Tai_Chung]

MATH SAT Scores Reach 36-Year High

Congrats Bush Administration!

[CFW]

And Georgia once again is 50th on SAT scores!

[dogbyte12]

Well, since our kids our doing much better in math and Science, maybe they should look into getting IT jobs.

[kinsman redeemer]

Possible factors:
Rise of homeschooling?
More magnet schools?
Private school enrollment is up?
Greater direct parental involvement?
More Asian students?

Impossible factors:
Teacher unions.
Million Man Math.

[Uncle Miltie]

"The nonprofit College Board said 36 percent of those taking the test were minority students"

At least that's the box they checked! (Wink!)

[tcostell]

Well I guess this is a real triumph for our public school systems. It must mean that a unionized government provided monopoly really is the best way to provide education to our children.

Yep, I'm sure that's it. Here it is finally....quantitative proof that socialism really does work and capitalism is just a troublesome phase we're all going through. I think after this it's time to admit that we were all wrong and the wild eyed marxists over at DU were right.

.

.

.

Or they could have dumbed down the test and manipulated the statistics, but I'm sure that isn't what really happened.

[dhuffman@awod.com]

'Lowered' or re-normalized? I believe that there have been two 100 point re-normalizations since I wrote my 1351 in 1966.

A 'standardized' test that is changed isn't a standard.

[dogbyte12]

I live in a town filled with a bunch of first generation american kids with asian born parents. These kids work their tails off. They go to school, then go to tutoring classes in the afternoons after school, and half days on saturdays. Home schooled kids kick tail during the spelling and geography bees, and have been known to get SAT scores of 1600. I think that isn't enough though to change these numbers so much nationwide. We are seeing real progress here, and I hope it continues.

One other factor is longer prison sentences. Kids who would have been born to parents in and out of jail, with no stability in their lives are not being born, because the dad to be, has started spending a very very long time in jail and isn't producing as many neglected kids. Welfare reform has convinced parents that the ride isn't going to be as easy any more, so they crack down harder on their kids.

The important thing is that we continue making progress. In this global market place, with some rules stacked against us, we need as much achievement by all our kids, that we can get. It's the only way we shall pass on the american dream of each generation being better off than the last, to our children and grandchildren.

[JoeSchem]

Well, since our kids our doing much better in math and Science, maybe they should look into getting IT jobs.

If they want to make $6000 a year in India.

[DallasMike]

I live in a town filled with a bunch of first generation american kids with asian born parents. These kids work their tails off. They go to school, then go to tutoring classes in the afternoons after school, and half days on saturdays. Home schooled kids kick tail during the spelling and geography bees, and have been known to get SAT scores of 1600.

No kidding. I have a Chinese friend who was disappointed last year when his son only scored 1500. His daughter had scored something like 1575 a couple of years earlier. I did extremely well by most standards but it wasn't quite that high. I would have been a total embarassment if he were my father.

[Cobra64]

"MATH SAT Scores Reach 36-Year High

Tom Daschle: I am saddened. Deeply saddened.

[Mr. Bird]

Is there any way to compare pre-1995 scores with current scores? I was in high school in the eighties, and there ain't no way the average was cracking 1000. I believe the average score back then was around 830-870. A score of 1300 was quite good, and was probably around the average for freshmen entering first tier colleges.

[Congressman Billybob]

The higher math scores are probably legitimate. After all, math is math. But the higher verbal scores are due at least in part to the dumbing down of the questions. Year by year the SAT Board makes the questions easier to answer -- so higher scores mean the students are running in place, and will need remedial courses in college to learn what they should have learned in high school.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "In the Justices We Trust?" posted on FR, other publication to come.

[Eala]

Or they could have dumbed down the test and manipulated the statistics, but I'm sure that isn't what really happened.

[Tax-chick]

Scores prior to 1995 were recalculated to reflect changes made that year so that the numbers would be comparable to more recent scores. The board was unable to provide comparable scores prior to 1967.

This is what the article says about the scores - they adjusted for the fact that scores have been arbitrarily raised. However, this says nothing about the content of the tests over time. (I scored 1510 in 1983, fwiw.)

[N3WBI3]

Yea calculatore will do that

[ladyjane]

Before we all get too excited - consider that the scores are simply numbers that provide a pretty good ranking of those taking the test. These test scores get re-centered and are not compared to some gold standard. It would be interesting to see the tests from the 50's and 60's re-administered and scored using the old scoring system.

This sounds like a PR puff piece put out by ETS. They've had some very bad press recently and colleges and universities have been dropping it as a requirement. If you're sending out low scores you're going to be disliked. The higher the scores, the happier everyone will be.

[y2k_free_radical]

Am i incorrect that the S.A.T. was made easier in the 1990's because of political pressure ?