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With more Georgia seniors taking SAT, scores drop slightly; 77 percent of 2014 graduating class takes test


District-Level Scores

School-Level Scores​


October 7, 2014 -- Georgia saw slight year-to-year drops in its SAT scores as more seniors took the test, 2014 score reports indicate.

 

In math and critical reading, scores dropped by two points. In writing, scores dropped by three points. The mean score for critical reading was 488 in 2014, with mean scores of 485 for math and 472 for writing.

 

“Do we want to see scores go up every year? Absolutely,” State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said. “However, we know that as more Georgia students take the SAT, we will sometimes see slight decreases. The measures are in place to better prepare students for college and 21st-century careers and, by extension, the SAT. The gains in scores will come.”

 

Seventy-seven percent of Georgia seniors – 73,626 in total – took the SAT in 2014. That is a 2.1 percent increase compared to 2013, and more minority students are taking the test – both positive indicators that greater numbers of students are pursuing higher education opportunities.

 

The number of seniors taking the SAT increased by 7.5 percent among Asian students, 4.9 percent among black students, 12.5 percent among Mexican American students, 11.4 percent among Puerto Rican students, and 9.7 percent among other Hispanic students. Of those Georgia seniors who took the exam, 47.9 percent (or 35,270 students) were minority students, compared to 46.1 percent from the class of 2013.

 

On the PSAT, 34,036 Georgia eleventh-graders took the test, outscoring the nation in reading, math, and writing. Georgia juniors recorded mean scores of 48.8 in critical reading, 49.5 in math, and 47.9 in writing. The math score increased by 0.4 points year-to-year, while the reading score decreased by 0.1 percent and the writing score decreased by 0.7 percent.

 

Georgia sophomores taking the PSAT recorded mean scores of 40.5 in critical reading, 41.3 in mathematics, and 39.7 in writing. The math score saw a 0.2 percent increase, while the reading score and writing mean scores each decreased by 0.7 percent.

 

Data released by the College Board along with PSAT and SAT score reports give some indication of where Georgia’s college-bound students are heading. Among 2013 high school graduates who took one of the College Board’s tests – the SAT, the PSAT, or an AP exam – 57.2 percent were known to be enrolled in college. Many of those students – 79.8 percent – chose to enroll in Georgia universities.

 

The 2014 data also offer a look at students’ post-secondary plans, since SAT test-takers tell the College Board where to send their scores. The University of Georgia received the highest percentage (30.5 percent) of student score sends, followed by Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Valdosta State, the University of West Georgia, Georgia College and State University, the Duke University Talent Identification Program, and Georgia Gwinnett College, in that order.

 

 

Quick Facts:


·         73,626 Georgia students in the class of 2014 took the SAT, compared to 72,119 last year

 

·         In other words: 77.2 percent of Georgia students from the class of 2014 took the SAT

 

·         Of those Georgia students who took the exam, 47.9 percent (35,720 students) were minority students, compared to 46.1 percent (33,243 students) from the class of 2013

 

·         In Georgia in 2013, 179,736 students took the PSAT/NMSQT

 

·         Among Georgia’s 10th-grade public school students, 80.2 percent participated in the PSAT/NMSQT last year. This compares to 38.3 percent of 10th-grade public school students nationally

 

·         In Georgia, 87,155 minority students participated in the 2013 PSAT administration. This represents 48.5 percent of Georgia test-takers. 

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