SAT® Scores Stable as Record Numbers Take Test
Source: College Board

A record number of students in the class of 2008 took the SAT this year, with a higher percentage of first-generation students than last year and a high rate of minority student participation, the College Board announced today. This year’s average scores mirror those of last year, indicating that student performance held steady despite the increase in the number of test-takers.

The number of SAT takers rose to more than 1.5 million (1,518,859), an 8 percent increase from five years ago and a 29.5 percent increase from 10 years ago. The SAT continues to be the nation’s most widely taken standardized college admissions test. Combined with high school grades, the SAT is also the best predictor of college success.

“Student interest and participation in the SAT has grown to historic levels, and our outreach into minority, low-income and other underserved student groups is yielding tremendous results,” said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board. “More than ever, the SAT reflects the face of education in this country.

“It’s essential that all students strive to attend college — and then succeed in their classes and, ultimately, graduate. We’re gratified to see that our country is moving increasingly toward being a nation of college graduates.”

Average scores for the class of 2008 remained stable at 502 for critical reading, 515 for mathematics and 494 for writing.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 2:30 pm and is filed under Education, K-12, Postsecondary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.