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Florida's SAT Scores Still Lag Behind Nation's
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Published: August 27, 2008
TAMPA - Florida continues to lag behind the nation in all three areas of the SAT college entrance exam scores, according to figures released Tuesday.
Even with improvement in Florida and no improvement nationwide, Florida was still 18 points behind in math, 13 in writing and six in reading.
In three Tampa Bay area school districts, average SAT scores remained about the same.
Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties' scores were basically flat with Pasco improving five points in math, four in reading and one in writing. Pinellas lost four points in writing, two in reading and gained one in math.
Hillsborough County School District officials said they did not have their SAT scores Tuesday.
"I've got to make sure we bought them," John Hilderbrand, the district's testing chief said late Tuesday. He said he hoped to have more information today.
Pasco's director of research and evaluation, Peggy Jones, was glad just to see improvement in all three subjects.
"We're up from last year, and I think that's good," she said. "You can compare your district to how other districts are doing based on the same curriculum standards."
Nearly 100,000 Florida students took the SAT, a record number.
State Education Commissioner Eric Smith concentrated on the scores of Florida's Hispanic and African-American students, who outscored their national counterparts on the reading and math sections.
"While I am highly encouraged by this trend, we must continue to emphasize the need for increased access to rigorous coursework to ensure that our students are prepared for the challenges ahead," Smith said.
College Board President Gaston Caperton said Tuesday at a national telephone news conference that stable scores are a good sign because a record number of students took the test and minority participation increased.
The SAT was taken by more than 1.5 million graduating seniors in 2008 and reflects their latest scores. More students taking a test usually means a slight dip in test scores, Caperton said.
A slightly smaller percentage of the graduating class of 2008 took the SAT than in 2007, however, said Brian O'Reilly, a spokesman for the SAT. Nationwide, 45.5 percent of 2008 graduating seniors took the SAT, compared with 45.9 percent of 2007 senior, he said.
"When you have half the graduating seniors taking a test from year to year, you're not going to have much of a change," O'Reilly said.
Minority test takers constituted 40 percent of the graduating seniors taking the exam, up from about a third a decade ago.
Hispanic participation is the fastest-growing minority segment and accounted for 14 percent of test takers. African-Americans were 12 percent and Asians 11 percent.
The SAT is used by many colleges in combination with grade-point averages to predict success in college. Florida also uses results from the SAT and ACT to qualify students for state Bright Futures scholarships and is one of the top states in number of students taking the SAT.
One state, Maine, has made the SAT a requirement for all high school juniors to meet the federal No Child Left Behind requirement, O'Reilly said.
Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.
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