SAT scores low; Utah's a bit higher

COLUMBIA, Mo. — For a second straight year, SAT scores for the most recent high school graduating class remained at the lowest level in nearly a decade, a trend attributed to a record number of students now taking the test.

The 1.52 million students who took the test is a slight increase from last year but a jump of nearly 30 percent over the past decade.

Just over 2,000 students in Utah sat for the exam or its various subject tests, which are not required at most of the colleges and universities in the state. They scored relatively higher than their national counterparts, an average of 50 points in each subject tested.

Minority students accounted for 40 percent of test-takers nationwide, and 36 percent were the first in their families to attend college. Nearly one in seven had a low enough family income to take the test for free. In Utah, Asians and Pacific Islanders made up nearly 10 percent of local test-takers, while the majority were white. However, much like the national trend, many were planning to be the first in their families to attend college.

"More than ever, the SAT reflects the face of education in this country," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, which owns the test and released the results Tuesday.

Nationally, the class of 2008 scored an average of 515 out of a possible 800 points on the math section, identical to graduating seniors in the previous year. Utah students scored 557 in math tests, while similar differences from the national average were reflected in other subjects tested by the SAT as well.

Scores in the critical reading component among last spring's high school seniors also held steady at 502, but the decline over time has been more dramatic: the past two years represent the lowest reading average since 1994, when graduating seniors scored 499. Utah students read above their peers with an average of 561 in the same test.

By comparison, the highest average reading score in recent decades was 530 by the class of 1972, although that score dropped dramatically within five years to near present levels. The latest math average is just five points below the 35-year high of 520 of three years ago.

Those historical highs are tempered by the test's more selective reach a generation ago, said Jim Hull, a policy analyst for the Center for Public Education, which is affiliated with the National School Boards Association.

"You only had the best of the best taking the test," he said. "The SAT has become far more inclusive."