State SAT scores rise in all 3 parts

Outpace national numbers, which are holding steady

SAT scores for Massachusetts high school graduates rose this year on all three sections of the college entrance exam, far outpacing the national average.

Graduates in the Bay State scored an average of 525 on the math section, a three-point increase from last year, and 514 on the critical reading section, a one-point climb. Scores on the writing section, introduced two years ago, rose two points to 513, according to statistics released yesterday by the College Board.

Nationally, scores held steady, with average scores of 502 in reading and 515 in math, for a combined 1,017. Writing scores also remained unchanged at 494. SAT scores are reported on a scale from 200 to 800. The survey consisted of scores of high school graduates.

Overall scores have dropped 11 points nationally from three years ago. Over that span, mean critical reading scores have dropped six points, and math scores have dropped five points.

Among graduates of public high schools, average combined math and reading scores rose eight points to 1,025, while writing scores climbed four points. The national average was 1,007.

State education officials hailed the performance, which ranked among the country's best. But they also noted that substantial gaps between white and nonwhite students persist.

"These results put us at the top of the country, which is where we belong, but we cannot rest until we take steps to address and close our achievement gaps," said Mitchell Chester, the state's commissioner of elementary and secondary education. "It is critical that all of our students - regardless of race - make steady progress in school and view college as an essential next step in their lives after high school."

White students scored 523 in reading, 534 in math, and 522 in writing, while black students scored 420 in reading, 424 in math, and 419 in writing. Hispanic students scored 433 in reading, 445 in math, and 427 in writing.

Education Secretary Paul Reville said recommendations from the recently released Readiness Project," a long-range plan to improve education quality in the state, will help schools narrow the disparity.

"We are committed to ensuring that every student in every classroom is provided a rigorous and challenging curriculum, is fully engaged in school every day, and receives the additional out-of-school assistance necessary to thrive," he said.

More than 1.5 million students took the standardized test, a record high and an 8 percent increase from five years ago. The College Board, which administers the test, reported strong participation by minority students and students from low-income families. Nearly 222,000 students received fee waivers for the test, which most colleges require for admission.

But this spring, Smith College and Wake Forest University joined a growing number of schools who have made standardized tests optional for admission. Test results are correlated with family income, and some colleges believe that emphasizing test scores prevents some low-income students from attending selective schools.

SAT proponents, however, say the test is a strong predictor of college success and helps distinguish among students from high schools of varying quality.

Males continue to outpace females on both the reading and math portions of the test. Male students scored a composite of 1,037 (504 reading and 533 math), while female students scored 1,000 (500 on both sections). Male students have consistently outperformed female students, particularly in math.

In Massachusetts, male students scored an average of 43 points higher than female students. Their math scores were 36 points higher.

Yet females outscored males on the writing test by an average of 13 points. Studies show the writing test is a strong predictor of first-year college performance, according to the College Board. In Massachusetts, the gap was 11 points.

In Massachusetts, 75 percent of 2007 graduates who took the SAT or Advanced Placement exams enrolled in college, the College Board reported. More than 65 percent attended Massachusetts schools. Among ethnic groups, white students scored an average of 1,066, compared with 892 for Hispanic and Latino students, and 859 for African-American students. Asian students scored an average of 1,099.

The colleges that received the most score reports from Massachusetts students were University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Northeastern University, Boston University, UMass-Dartmouth, and Bridgewater State College.

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com.