SAT Scores Decline in NC and Nation

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SAT Scores Decline in NC and Nation

Special Report - August 30, 2007
After ten consecutive years of increases in SAT scores among North Carolina students, a new report from the NC Department of Public Instruction shows that scores have dropped for the second year in a row. The SAT tests critical reading and mathematics abilities of college-bound students and is composed of two exams, each graded on a 200-to-800 scale. In 2007, the mean average SAT score in North Carolina was 1004, a reduction of four points from last year and 13 points below the national average of 1017. The drop is due to a four-point decline in math scores (from 513 in 2006 to 509 this year), while reading scores remained the same (495) both years. Although North Carolina scored below the national average, the numbers were higher than those of neighboring states—the mean average score among Southeastern states was 999, five points less than North Carolina’s score. Nationally, scores dropped three points for math and one point for critical reading.

Despite reduced scores over the last two years, North Carolina has steadily improved over the last few decades, with students narrowing the gap between the state and national average by 70 points since 1972. In addition, the latest numbers show that more minority students took the test in 2007 compared to 2006—7.4 percent more black students, 5.6 percent more American Indian students, 15.6 percent more Asian students, and 21.8 percent more Hispanic students.