Drop in SAT Scores Spurs Questions About Race and Preparation

 With SAT scores in for the class of 2007, the results underscore the ongoing debate about disparities and equal preparation. Scores of the 1.49 million students who took the three-part test dropped an aggregate seven points, but the change from last year was statistically insignificant, according to officials at the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the exam. Students lost one point in the critical-reading portion of the exam, dropping to 502, and three points each in the math (515) and essay-writing (494) exams.
Of more concern were the comparative results of the major ethnic groups. Asians and Asian-Americans scored a combined 1,605 on the three tests; whites scored 1,579; Mexicans and Mexican-Americans 1,371, and African-Americans 1,287. That means Asians and Asian-Americans outscored African-Americans by 318 points.
Researchers are quick to find the culprits for the discrepancies – poverty, cultural and linguistic diversity being among them. The fact that more students took the test is also a relevant factor – more of them poor, culturally and linguistically diverse students took the test. Some believed that the number of students deciding to take the test late, not taking advantage of SAT prep classes may have skewed the scores downward. Also, fewer students elected to retake the test, and retakes frequently result in an improvement of up to 30 points.
Among the solutions is parental support. Anecdotal reports attribute the success of Asian and Asian-American students, in part, to the active role parents play in their children’s education.

The College Board officials announced a second year of declines nationally in average reading and math scores, and a slight drop on the mandatory writing portion introduced in 2006. The average score nationally in math dropped from 518 to 515, while the average critical reading score fell one point to 502, the lowest since 1994.

At a news conference in Washington, College Board officials played down a second year of falling SAT scores nationally as largely the consequence of increased diversity among the test-takers in last year’s senior class. For example, a new policy in Maine requiring all high school seniors to take the test – even those who do not plan to attend college – might have skewed the national results, according to Lawrence Bunin, who heads the College Board’s SAT division.

Minority students comprised nearly 40 percent of the 1.49 million high school seniors in the Class of 2007 who took the SAT. And the achievement gap in critical reading between black and white test-takers – long a focus of criticism for opponents of the test - was at its lowest point nationally in 20 years.

— Teachers of Color