Average SAT scores remained flat in 2008 - USATODAY.com: Average national SAT scores for the high school class of 2008 were the same as last year, even as a larger, more diverse group took the test, a College Board report released Tuesday says.
A record 1.52 million students took the SAT, an increase of 1.6% from last year. Scores on math and critical reading had declined in recent years, and average scores dip as the pool of test takers increases, 'so we're encouraged by the stability' of this year's scores, said Gaston Caperton, president of the non-profit College Board, the SAT's owner.
Even so, average scores for blacks, Hispanics and some other minorities dropped while those of white and Asian students rose. Hispanics and blacks account for less than 25% of all test takers, but their participation rates increased fastest last year.
College Board senior vice president Laurence Bunin said the lower scores for Hispanic and black students, when coupled with their increased participation rates, suggests a positive development — that more students aspire to pursue a college degree: "The main point is that these kids are taking the test and want to go to college," he says.
