October 2003  
SAT Math Results Jump and Minorities Make Gains

The College Board released its Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) results in August. Unlike the ACT results also released this summer, (see Facts and Figures, September 2003) the SAT results show math scores outpacing verbal—with the highest math scores in 35 years. The SAT is the most popular standardized test for college-bound seniors on the East and West coasts, and 80 percent of schools without open admissions use the SAT scores in their admissions process. Like the ACT, the SAT recorded record numbers of test takers (1.4 million—48 percent of this year's 2.94 million high school graduates), the largest amount in 15 years. Both tests correlate higher achievement with rigorous course taking in high school. And although scores are increasing, both show students still have a long way to go in preparing to succeed in college. In March 2005, the SAT will add more reading passages and will stress writing. It will include a standardized writing test that a growing number of colleges are already requiring for admission.

FINDINGS

  • The 2003 SAT class posted the highest math scores in more than 35 years; verbal scores matched the level last reached in 1987.
  • Overall verbal scores have increased in the past decade—7 percent since 1993. in 2003, female test-takers continued to stay behind their male counterparts in the verbal section. The gap expanded to nine in 2003 from five points in 2002. Verbal scores for males may have been helped by the fact that 79 percent report they have taken four or more years of English since 2000. Meanwhile, the percentage of high school females graduating with four or more years of English has dropped from 85 percent in 2000 to 81 percent this year.
  • Females did, however, further close the gap with male students for math scores. The average score on the math section of the SAT has increased 19 points for females and 13 points for males in the past decade. Overall math scores are up 16 points compared to 1993.
  • The College Board says that the increased math scores are correlated with increased enrollment of high school students in advanced math and science coursework—chemistry, physics, precaluculus, and calculus.
  • Average SAT scores vary by location. The average scores of suburban students are the highest (527 verbal/539 math), followed by those in urban areas, (494 verbal/506 math), and rural areas (497 verbal/501 math).
  • Thirty-six percent of SAT takers in the class of 2003 were minorities. The number of Mexican- American SAT-takers increased by 56 percent between 1993 and 2003. Test takers in the Other Hispanic category increased by 50 percent during the same period.

    • How College-Bound Students Have Changed in the Past Ten Years

    • The number of high school students taking English composition has dropped from 79 percent in 1993 to 66 percent in 2003; grammar has dropped from 83 to 70 percent; U.S government/civics has dropped from 71 to 64 percent. Spanish has increased from 60 to 68 percent; physics has increased from 45 to 49 percent; Precalculus has increased from 33 to 45 percent.
    • Approximately half of students plan to pursue advanced degrees (a very similar percent to 10 years ago).
    • Students in every racial/ethnic group category who took the core college-preparatory course curriculum earned significantly higher composite scores—10-15 percent higher—than those that did not.
    • More students are getting A's in school. The number of A's reported has increased ten percentage points in the past ten years (from 32 to 42 percent).
    • About 75 percent of students plan to apply for financial aid, a percentage that remains virtually unchanged in the past ten years.
    • Ethnic diversity has increased slightly: The number of White students have decreased from 70 to 64 percent in the past ten years while most other ethnic categories have increased at least a percentage point.
    • Health careers are still the most popular choice for high school seniors (16 percent down from 18 percent ten years ago) followed by business (13 percent); social science/history (10 percent); engineering (9 percent); education and the visual and performing arts (8 percent each); computer and information sciences (6 percent), and biological sciences (5 percent).
    • Level of parental education is rising. The number of parents with an Associate degree has increased from 8 to 9 percent; those with a bachelor's degree has increased from 27 to 28 percent; and those with a graduate degree has increased from 24 to 26 percent.
    • Language diversity is increasing; students who use another language in addition to English is up from 9 to 12 percent since 1993; English-only speakers have decreased from 83 to 80 percent.

    For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com.

    * The ACT has a science component to its tests; the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) does not. SAT does have a writing test that will become mandatory in 2005 and the ACT has no writing test. In a recent article, The New York Times (www.nytimes.com) addresses the basic differences in the two tests:

    The relative importance of writing skills versus math and science skills has become a major marketing difference between the two learning college entrance exams, the SAT and ACT. ACT, the leading college entrance exam in the Middle West…tests students on math, science, English, and reading. As of February 2005, ACT will include an optional writing test. But last month, ACT said that it expected no more than half of the colleges and universities to which it sent scores to require the writing test. (Lewin, 8/20/03)

    The September issue of AAC&U News featured new ACT results.

     

    DID YOU KNOW?

    • New Jersey had the highest percentage of SAT test-takers with 85 percent of high school seniors taking the test. Mississippi, North and South Dakota tied for the lowest at 4 percent each.
    • Thirty-eight percent of SAT-takers are first-generation college-bound students.
    • Fifty-four percent of SAT-takers are female and 46 percent are male.
    • The strongest math scores gains among all ethnic groups in the past ten years is among Asian students. They gained 22 points; White students gained 17 points; Puerto Rican students gained 13 points.
    • Strongest verbal gains among all ethnic groups were among Asians, with a 19-point increase, followed by Puerto Rican students (13 points) and White students (9 points).
    • Overall, college-bound seniors gained sixteen math points in the past ten years, compared to a gain of only seven points in verbal scores.
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