The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia’s graduating high school seniors scored higher than the nationwide average on the reading and writing sections of the SAT college-entrance exam but lower than their national peers in mathematics, according to a report released Monday.
The 59,031 Virginia public, private and home-schooled seniors who took the test through March 2010 had an average score of 512 in critical reading, 512 in math and 497 in writing, according to the College Board, which administers the test. Each section has a top score of 800.
The 2010 national averages are 501 in reading, 516 in math and 492 in writing on the college-admissions test.
Virginia’s average scores were largely unchanged from last year, when 59,612 graduating seniors averaged 511 in reading, 512 in math and 498 in writing.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patricia Wright praised the results of the state’s 48,594 public school seniors – 90 percent of the test-taking pool. They recorded two-point increases in both critical reading and math, and a one-point increase in writing from last year.
“The performance of our 2010 graduates on the SAT is further proof of the wisdom of Virginia’s decision to continue building on statewide system of support and accountability founded on the Standards of Learning,” Wright said Monday in a statement.
But students in Virginia’s religious and independent schools outperformed public seniors in 2010 by substantial margins. Students at religiously affiliated schools averaged 541 in reading, 536 in math and 532 in writing. Independent school seniors scored 557 in reading, 565 in math and 558 in writing. Test-takers from “other or unknown” schools scored 485, 476, and 466, respectively.
The College Board said nearly 1.55 million students across the nation took the test this year.
In Virginia, male students averaged 514 in reading, 531 in math and 489 in writing, compared to female students’ 510 in reading, 496 in math and 505 in writing.
Large gaps remain among Virginia’s racial subgroups, as is the case with national test takers.
Students who described themselves as of Asian descent (8 percent of all test takers) averaged 529 in reading, 577 in math and 528 in writing. Whites (59 percent of test takers) averaged 536 in reading, 534 in math and 519 in writing. Black seniors (20 percent of test takers) averaged 436 in reading, 429 in math and 424 in writing. Those who described themselves as non-Mexican or non-Puerto Rican Hispanics (4 percent of test takers) averaged 489 in reading, 490 in math and 476 in writing.
Students who classified themselves as “other” (3 percent of test takers) scored 510 in reading, 508 in math and 498 in writing. Those who didn’t specify their race (3 percent of test takers) scored 523 in reading, 513 in math and 503 in writing.
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Online:
http://www.collegeboard.com
