Idaho students’ SAT scores drop

BOISE – Idaho’s scores on the SAT entrance examination this year declined in reading and math, mirroring the national score which also saw slight drops in both subjects when compared with last year, the College Board reported Tuesday.

“We’ll look at these SAT scores and see if there are areas we need to focus on to make our students better prepared for life after high school,” said Melissa McGrath, spokeswoman for the Idaho State Board of Education.

She said it was unclear why Idaho scores dropped.

On the SAT, the scores of Idaho students dropped 2 points in reading, 6 points in math, and 6 points on the writing section, which is still in the experimental stage, this year compared with 2006.

In reading, Idaho students scored 541 out of a possible 800, down from 543 in 2006. In math, they scored 539, down from 545. And in writing, students scored 519, down from 525.

Compared with 1997 scores, Idaho students who took the test in 2007 scored 3 points lower on reading and had the same score in math. The writing test is a more recent addition to the test.

Nationally, combined math and reading SAT scores for the high school class of 2007 were the lowest in eight years – a trend the College Board attributed largely to the good news that a more diverse pool of students is taking the exam.

Last spring’s seniors scored on average 502 on the critical reading section of the country’s most popular college entrance exam, down from 503 for the class of 2006. Math scores fell three points from 518 to 515.

Scores also fell three points on the writing section, from 497 to 494.

The College Board on Tuesday said that the declines were within normal historical fluctuations and not significant.

The overall number taking the SAT rose only slightly from last year, to about 1.5 million. But the College Board was eager to emphasize the exam’s growth beyond its traditional base of students who have been groomed their whole lives to prepare for college.

Twenty-four percent of test-takers had a first language other than English, up from 17 percent a decade ago. Thirty-five percent of this year’s SAT-takers would be the first in their families to attend college.

The SAT is not the most popular college entrance exam taken in Idaho. Only 19 percent of high school seniors took the test in 2007, according to the College Board, the nonprofit membership group that owns the exam.

In general, states that had a lower percentage of students taking the SAT tended to have higher scores.

McGrath said 59 percent of Idaho seniors took the rival ACT in 2007.