Average SAT Scores Declining

Average SAT scores have declined nationally this year, with the reading school for the class of 2011 being the lowest on record. The SAT has three sections: reading, writing, and math. The combined score equals 2,400. This year's average was 1,500, down 6 points from last year's 1,506. The College Board, the company administering the SAT, believes increasing diversity is one of the contributing factors to the lower scores. "For example, about 27 percent of the nearly 1.65 million test takers last year came from a home where English was not the only language" (Tamar). In addition, "about 30 percent of those who took the SAT were black, Hispanic, or American Indian, groups whose scores have stubbornly remained lower than those of whites and Asians" (Tamar). 

Robert Schaeffer of FairTest, however, believes the real problem is high-stakes testing itself. 

“How many wake-up calls do policy makers 

need before they admit that their 

test-and-punish strategy is a failure? 

Policymakers need to embrace 

very different policies if they are committed 

to real education reform.”

Although average scores are declining, there is still hope. The number of high scores are increasing, with students scoring at least 700 out of 800 on the math section up 20 percent.

I think this article is very relevant in schools today. Although the SAT test will not be a large part of my class, the issue of more diverse students will be. I need to be able to accommodate all students in my classroom, regardless of race or ethnic background. This will be especially important with students who do not speak English, because they will still be required to understand and retain information taught in class.

This article was also important in discussing high-stakes testing. Even though the SAT will not be in the forefront of my classroom, other high-stakes tests will be. This is often the graduation test. It will be important to prepare my students for these tests, while still completing the course requirements and other assignments.

test-cartoon005. (nd). Retrieved from http://www.lordalford.com/engieoc/
Tamar, L.  (September 15, 2011). Average Scores Slip on SAT. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/education/15sat.html?_r=1&ref=education