SAT Scores at an all time high!

http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/cbsenior/yr2002/pdf/CBS2002Report.pdf ^

[balanced]

Something else positive to post. Math SAT scores in 2002 were 516. That matches the 1967 value of 516. But, most importantly, 46% of students now take the SAT whereas much fewer did in 1967. Also way more minorities take the SAT now (whites scored 533 in 2002, which is way above the mostly white 1967 crowd). All things considered, I think it is fair to say this is the best SAT result ever!! Congratulates students.

[Koblenz]

About 5 years ago, they changed the way they score the SAT, so the same performance would go up by about 100 points. So no, things aren't really better.

[hellinahandcart]

You are aware that they now spot you 200 points just for filling in your name? They didn't do that in 1967.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

All things considered, I think it is fair to say this is the best SAT result ever!!

You sure you're considering all things?

[hellinahandcart]

Congratulates students.

How'd y'all and them do in verbal?

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

That sucked. Took some of the shine off my kid's perfect scores.

[ctonious]

I am absolutely stunned at the venality of this lie. For the SAT board to proudly announce this comparison, without mentioning the extra points they've added, proves to me they confidently live in a world of NewSpeak and CorrectThink - where facts and truth no longer matter.

[balanced]

Thats not fair! You didn't read the report. The scores are all normalized to reflect the new scoring. This is an apples to apples comparison.

[Grampa Dave]

Left Wing Troll alarm with balanced
Since Aug 28, 2003, having wet dreams about the SAT that makes dummies look smart.

Someone please ping the Viking Kitties. I have better things to do,like go fly fishing.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Yeah, right- anything you say. I just would like to see the results if these "brilliant students" took the SAME SAT's that were given in 1960 or so...

This is a crock- the average college graduate today knows LESS than the average college-bound High School senior did a generation ago. The proliferation of external aids (like being able to GOOGLE anything, the use of graphing calculators, etc) covers up a lot of this ignorance. They may not actually KNOW much, but they can look it up when needed.

[ctonious]

Thats not fair! You didn't read the report. The scores are all normalized to reflect the new scoring. This is an apples to apples comparison.

About 5 years ago, they changed the way they score the SAT, so the same performance would go up by about 100 points. So no, things aren't really better.

My understanding is as Koblenz indicates; a 516 SAT score today is not the same as a 516 SAT score in 1967. Today's students take a different test designed to get the same test results. i.e. - if the scores drop over the years, can't be the students - it's gotta be that the test is wrong. However, if you have data indicating how the scores have been normalized after they have changed the test- please post. Thanks.

[Seamus Mc Gillicuddy]

You sure you're considering all things?

I yam uh purfektly fyn ecksampul of the Noo Jrzee publik edjuhkashen sistum!

[balanced]

I don't know why good news about education is getting all this negative response!

In the SAT link, it discusses the score changes and states that the scores were normalized to be consistent with past scores. Anyway, the scoring change occurred in 1995 and the SAT scores have risen consistently since then with the exact same scoring.

Someone asked about verbal. The SAT gains are smaller, but still there. This is from the DEA's website http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2003/section2/indicator10.asp and says that only 3 countries out of 38 were better than the US on international reading comparisons.

This is the newspaper article that turned me on to this good news: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/6621573.htm. It says in part "The nation's high school class of 2003 achieved the highest score on the math section of the SAT in at least 36 years - a gain attributed to greater enrollment in advanced math and science courses and the proliferation of high-tech gadgets and computers.

Students' scores in the verbal section of the test hit a 16-year high.

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."

(Note - previous scores I described were from 2002; these are even higher in 2003)

Again, this is positive news about America. We should be celebrating these recent gains.

[Aquinasfan]

SAT Scores at an all time high!

What a joke.

[Aquinasfan]

This is a crock- the average college graduate today knows LESS than the average college-bound High School senior did a generation ago.

Yeah. An anecdote. I know a philosophy major who didn't know the difference between utilitarianism and Unitarianism.

[kdmhcdcfld]

They've been spotting everyone 200 points for over 20 years now...the only thing that's changed is that the test has been dumbed down.

[fortaydoos]

They changed the scoring - look it up. Formerly very impressive numbers are just average today. Why did they change? I guess to not hurt anyone's feelings.

[balanced]

Can someone explain to me why all this anger directed at America students? My links are from objective sources. US students are improving. Testing shows it. I'm googling like mad and finding things like the TIMSS that also show American students do well internationally in math and science.

And I am amazed that anyone would complain about US colleges! US colleges are clearly the best in the world as seen both in output and in student demand (the goal in virtually every country, including European ones, is to try to get into one of the top American universities). Why is such a pro-American stance coming in for such attack?

[boycott]

SAT scores are now watered down like most things concerning education.

[boycott]

SAT scores are now watered down like most things concerning education.