Virginia Students' SAT Scores Decline, But Still Are Higher Than National Average

Virginia high school students who graduated this spring performed better on SAT tests than their counterparts nationwide, according to data released this month by the Virginia Department of Education.

 College Board results show seniors who graduated from public schools this year outscored other public school students nationwide in all three subsections of the SAT, a test whose scores are widely considered by college admissions offices.

 While the number of Virginia students taking the is increasing, the SAT remains the dominant college-entrance examination in Virginia, according to department of education officials.

 While the average reading score for Virginia public school students dropped one point in critical reading, the average score is 509—15 points higher than the national average.

 The Commonwealth’s 2011 graduates—public, private and home schooled—have a average SAT reading score of  512, which is 15 points higher than the national all-student average of 497, according to the department of education.

 The Virginia average for SAT Math scores for public school students is 507, one point higher than the national average. Interestingly, the Commonwealth’s all-student average is actually five points lower than the reported national average for the same group.

 White public-schooled Virginia students reportedly had lower math scores on the SAT than their counterparts on the national level, according to data.

Scores for that public school subgroup are the only ones that were lower than the national average.

The average writing score of 492 for Virginia public school students is nine points higher than the national average, while the all-student average for Virginia is 495, six points higher than the national average.

The average SAT scores for 2011 Virginia public school graduates decreased by one point in critical reading, four points in mathematics and two points in writing, according to data released this month by the Virgina Department of Education.

Scores decreased for public school students nationwide, as well. In critical reading, scores dropped three points, math decreased by four while writing scores went down three points.

“Long-term trends are more important than one-year fluctuations in achievement,”  Virginia Board of Education President Eleanor B. Saslaw said. “Nevertheless, these results underscore the importance of the board’s work in raising standards across the curriculum to ensure that Virginia graduates have the college-ready knowledge and skills required for success during their freshman year and beyond.”

The increase in the number as well as the diversity of test takers in Virginia and nationally, coupled with a decline in the number of students retaking the SAT and improving on their initial performance, are all cited by the College Board as contributing to one-year declines in the average scores of public school graduates.

College Board also reported that Virginia’s 2011 graduates represented the largest and most diverse pool of college-bound students in the state’s history.  Four out of every 10 Virginia public school graduates who took the SAT were members of a minority group. Sixty-seven percent of this year’s public school graduates took the SAT — a five-percent increase when compared to 2010.  

“More students are taking the SAT and indicating their intent to continue their education and acquire the skills they’ll need to compete in today’s global economy,”  Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia I. Wright said.  “Students, who in previous years might not have viewed themselves as college material, are being encouraged to take the SAT by educators who recognize their potential.”