By Dianne Tordillo

Recent reports by the College Board indicate that the average scores on the SAT for the high school class of 2011 dropped in reading, writing and math. The College Board connects the decline in scores to the increasing numbers of diversity and participation of test-takers.

According to a College Board press release, there was a 44-percent rise in minority students this year, making this the most diverse class of SAT test-takers on record. The release also lists a 36-percent rise in first-generation college goers and a 27-percent rise of test-takers who speak another language at home other than English.

The College Board reports that the national SAT score average for writing fell two points, math fell one point, and reading fell three points. Reading reached its lowest score on record.
College Board officials conclude that these lower scores likely reflect this year’s higher representation of students from various economic, ethnic and academic backgrounds.
“As we reach more students who have less resources, scores will tend to drop,” Wayne Camara, College Board Vice President of Research and Development, said in a phone interview with the L.A. Times.

Although many critics view these lower SAT averages as more of a wake-up call for high schools to improve test-taking and college preparation initiatives, others tend to focus on the positivity in the growing rates of diversity and SAT participation altogether.

“In today’s knowledge-based global economy, it’s more critical than ever that students are adequately prepared to pursue advanced degrees and compete for the jobs of the future,” Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, said in the release. “Growing participation in the SAT is an encouraging sign that more students are taking the necessary steps toward enrolling in higher education.”

The College Board is taking strides to adapt to its booming numbers of non-traditional test-takers. One approach includes allowing more students who face financial barriers, take the SAT through the SAT Fee-Waiver Program. This year, more than 350,000 low-income students took the SAT with the use of fee waivers – a 21 percent increase from five years ago.
To accommodate students who face geographical barriers, the College Board opened 900 new testing centers in the United States, bringing the total number of SAT test centers to more than 7000 w0rldwide.

Lastly, the College Board is expanding their accessibility to single-parent students and those raising families, by administering the SAT’s during the school day. So far, only five states have enabled the SAT’s during the day. The College Board is working with state and local school districts to achieve this endeavor.

(Inside Higher Education) — SAT scores are down this year. And while the College Board played down that news and attributed the falling scores to growth in the test-taking population, the downward shift runs counter to recent patterns. The data also show continuation of a trend that has concerned many educators for years: growing gaps by race and ethnicity in how students perform on average on the test.  The trend in recent years has been a point up in one part of the SAT, offset by a point down in another part — with minimal movement in total. But this year saw a three-point decline in critical reading, a one-point decline in mathematics, and a two-point decline in writing.

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