No bad news on the Scholastic Aptitude Test this year. But no good news, either.
Georgia’s average score on that highest-of-stakes test remained the same as last year’s score: 1,452 out of a possible 2,400, according to the College Board, which administers the SAT.
National SAT scores remained flat, too, holding steady at 1,498 out of 2,400.
Just as they did last year, Georgia students scored a 977 on the all-important critical reading and math portions of the test, combined. Like the writing portion, those are worth 800 points apiece. Most colleges and universities use a student's critical reading and math scores in making admission decisions; fewer schools use the scores from all three sections.
The critical reading and math score of 977 was below the national average of 1,010.
The College Board will release school-level scores later today.
A steady-as-she-goes score isn’t necessarily good news, College Board officials said.
“While some might see stagnant scores as no news, we at the College Board consider it a call to action,” said College Board President David Coleman. “We must dramatically increase the number of students in K–12 who are prepared for college and careers. Only by transforming the daily work that students do can we achieve excellence and equity.”
Coleman said too many minority students are still not enrolling in the type of rigorous Advanced Placement courses that would better prepare them for the SAT and for college or career success.
“We have got to expand these courses to all kids if our nation is to make meaningful gains in educational attainment,” Coleman said. “This is a deficiency we absolutely must attack.”
Officials at the Georgia Department of Education said there has been significant progress in getting more students from all races and backgrounds to take Advanced Placement courses.
“While College Board indicates that minority students nationwide are not being exposed to sufficient core curriculum courses and not taking AP classes to prepare them for the rigor of college, careers, and the SAT, Georgia does not fit that description,” said Matt Cardoza, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Education. “All students in the Georgia Class of 2013 completed four mathematics courses and four science courses. Plus, more and more minority students in Georgia are completing AP courses and taking AP exams.”
Indeed, a report released by the College Board last year showed that 38.2 percent of the public high school students in Georgia’s class of 2011 — nearly 32,000 — took at least one AP exam. That was up from 26 percent of the class of 2006 and 19.7 percent of the class of 2001.
That same report showed the number of black graduates who took at least one AP exam during high school nearly doubled from 3,940 in 2006 to 7,878 in 2011.
Black students were also experiencing increasing success on AP exams, which offer a score of 1 to 5, with a score of 3 or higher typically earning a student college credit in that subject area.
The number of black students who scored 3 or higher on at least one AP exam doubled from 1,004 in 2006 to 2,076 in 2011.
Even with increasing exposure to rigorous coursework and better scores on AP exams, a college applicant who did not perform better than the Georgia average of 1,452 on the SAT would be hard-pressed to get into three of the state’s top universities, Emory University, the University of Georgia or Georgia Tech.
At Emory, the middle 50 percent of accepted applicants had critical reading scores ranging from 620 to 710, math scores from 660 to 700 and writing scores from 640 to 730, according to 2012 figures from College Board.
At the University of Georgia, the middle 50 percent of accepted applicants had critical reading scores from 560 to 660, math scores from 580-670 and writing scores from 570 to 670.
A score of 1,452 would also make an applicant a long shot for acceptance into Georgia Tech, where the middle 50 percent of accepted applicants had critical reading scores ranging from 600 to 700, math scores from 660 to 760 and writing scores from 610 to 700.
An applicant who matched the Georgia average of 1,452 would stand a much better chance of acceptance into Georgia State University, Clayton State University or Kennesaw State University.
Knowing that college choices are on the line, many parents sign their students up for SAT prep classes. Some schools, like Chamblee Charter High in DeKalb County, offer credit for SAT prep classes taken on campus.
Martha Macon-Gee, who teaches creative writing at Chamblee Charter High and helps students prepare for the critical reading section of the test, said she makes sure students there know that there is no reason they can’t perform as well as students in other states.
She points to past academic scholarship winners from the school and tells her students: “You are not on the bottom.”
Mollie Simon, a 17-year old senior at Chamblee Charter, has taken the SAT three times, hoping her scores and her work as a student journalist will give her a shot at acceptance into Northwestern University, Yale University or the University of Georgia.
Grinding through the SAT was no picnic, she said.
“I don’t like the whole testing process,” she said.
About the Author
