SAT scores rise for Mass. students

August 26, 2008 12:51 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

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

Graduates scored an average of 525 on the math section of the test, a three-point increase from last year, and 514 on the critical reading section, a one-point climb. Average scores on the writing section, introduced two years ago, rose two points to 513, according to statistics released today 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.

Overall, scores are down an average of 11 points from three years ago. Mean critical reading scores have dropped six points, and math scores have dropped five points over that span.

More than 1.5 million students across the country took the SAT, a record high and an 8 percent increase from five years ago and a 29.5 percent increase from 10 years ago. The College Board, which administers the test, reported strong participation by minority students and students from low-income families. More than 221,000 students received fee waivers for the test, which most colleges require for admission.

Female students continue to take the test in greater numbers than males. Female students made up 57 percent of Hispanic and 57 percent of African-American SAT-takers in 2008. More than half of the Asian-American (51 percent) and white test-takers (53 percent) were women.

Males continue to outpace females on both the reading and math portions of the test, according to the College Board. Male students scored a composite of 1,037 (504 Reading and 533 Math), while female students scored 1,000 (500 on both sections).

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 nationally on the writing test by an average of 13 points. In Massachusetts, the gap was 11 points.

In Massachusetts, 75 percent of students who took the SAT or Advanced Placement exams enrolled in college, the College Board reported. More than 65 percent stayed in Massachusetts.

Independent school students fared substantially better than those attending public schools, with an average combined score (math and reading) of 1,191, compared to 1,027.

Among ethnic groups, white students scored an average of 1,066, compared to 892 for Hispanic and Latino students, and 859 for African-American students. Asian students scored an average of 1,099.

The survey calculated only students' most-recent test results.