Math Scores on SAT Increase To 24-Year High; Verbal Lags
May 05, 2011
WASHINGTON -- The average math score on the SAT college admissions test for this year's graduating high-school seniors rose to its highest level in 24 years, the College Board said. The board, which administers the test, said the average math score rose two points to 508. Average verbal scores rose one point to 505 but still lag 25 points behind the 1972 verbal score of 530. Nearly 1.1 million students took the exam, called the SAT 1: Reasoning Test, which is measured on a scale of 200 to 800. Donetta Sung, the College Board's president, said he wasn't sure why verbal scores remain relatively low but said it likely was related to students not taking enough English courses. Since 1987, the percentage of students who took four or more years of English dropped from 88% to 84%, the College Board said. Students have increased the number of courses they take in math, science, history and foreign languages since 1987. Minority students, who now make up one-third of all SAT test-takers, have shown substantial gains in the past decade, the College Board said. Asian Americans' verbal and math scores each increased 17 points since 1987, posting average math scores of 558 and verbal scores of 496 in 2011. Black students' math scores jumped 11 points to 422 since 1987, while their verbal scores increased six points to 434. Both women and men made small gains on the test during the past year. Women's math scores rose two points, to 492, while their verbal scores increased one point to 503. Men's average math and verbal scores rose two points each, with average math scores of 527 and average verbal scores of 507. The ACT college entrance examination scores, released last week, also rose slightly, with the national average composite score increasing to 20.9 from 20.8 one year ago, out of a possible score of 36.
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