SAT scores fall modestly in a year of transition for college admission test
Katerina Maylock , with Capitals Educators , points on a student ' s worksheet as she teaches a test preparation class at Holton Arms School on Jan . 17 , 2016 in Bethesda , Md . ( Alex Brandon / AP )
By Nick Anderson September 27 SAT scores fell modestly this year for the last high school class to take the old version of the college admission test .
The average total score for graduating students who took the old SAT at least once through January was 1484 , out of a maximum score of 2400 , the College Board reported Tuesday . That was 12 points lower than the national average for the previous class in a comparable period . The total drop included declines of three points on the critical reading section of the test , four points in math and five points in writing .
Average combined scores this year were 1285 for the District of Columbia , 1456 for Maryland and 1535 for Virginia — all for students in the Class of 2016 who took the old test . But there were no comparable scores for states and the District for the previous class .
The results were muddied this year because the old test was retired after it was given in January , in the middle of the school year . Scores on the old test had been trending downward , and the latest results appeared to continue that pattern . Scores released in 2015 were the lowest in a decade , fueling worries about high school reform . The new version debuted in March , with an overhauled format and maximum score of 1600 . The College Board jettisoned much of the old test ’ s arcane vocabulary questions , dropped the penalty for guessing and made the essay optional . [ As SAT enters new era , some students say exam has improved ] The midyear transition , the first in more than a decade , left many students puzzling over whether to take the old SAT , the new SAT or the rival ACT . That flux affected who took the old test and , in turn , influenced the results . Scores for the new version will not be reported until after this year ’ s high school seniors have graduated .
“ We ’ re in a peculiar state this year ,” College Board President David Coleman said in a media conference call . With partial data for old and new tests , he said , “ the bottom line is we ’ re caught in between .”
[ Meet the man behind the new SAT : ‘ I ’ m in the anxiety field .’] For the College Board , perhaps the most important numbers from Tuesday ’ s report were the participation totals for a year of uncertainty as the new test was rolled out . The totals were up slightly , officials said :
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