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Seniors’ SAT scores go up again
WASHINGTON (AT SA'I s« ores of college
hound seniors ire up for a sec ond straight year,
after a 2f>-\<'ar slump in who h edui ators <|e< larnd
the nation s schools in serious trouble
rhe (.lass of 199 3 sc ored an average 424 011 the
verba! part of the test, up a point from the average
for the previous year’s graduating i lass, and (lie
math average was 478. up two points, the College
Hoard reported
At the same time, blac ks — whose average
scores long have lagged behind those of whites —
are continuing to narrow the gap.
It was the sec ond straight year of SAT score
me reases. and although that's encouraging, "acad
emic recovery is painfully slow, said Donald
Stewart, president of the board, a non-profit edu
cation group that sponsors the test
"Too many students are not being held to rigor
ous standards or exposed to a c hallenging curricu
lum." Stewart said
Asian Americans and white students took the
most classroom c ourse's and received the highest
SAT scores Mexitan-American and black students
took the fewest c ourses and got the lowest scores
SAT scores were below the national average in
large cities and rural areas, but suburban students
performed above the average
One positive sign 42 perc ent of test-takers who
graduated this year were carrying heavy course
loads, compared with 34 pert ent for those who
graduated in 1987
"We think more rigorous course work is doing
the job. contributing to an increase in stores," said
Howard Everson, the College Board's senior
research sc ientist
Despite the progress, verbal sc ores art; 39 points
lower than in 1989. and math sc ores are behind by
IS points
One big factor holding down SAT sc ores dur
ing the past 25 veers is that more students — not
just the cream of the academic c rc>|> are now tak
ing the test
A record 30 perc cent of test takers this year were
racial and ethnic minorities, double the level in
1978
More than one million high sc hool seniors take
file SAT eac h year — 43 percent of the projected
high school graduates n the ( i-iss of 199 1 I he
per* outage taking tin- test ranged from 4 pen ont in
Mississippi and I tah to ~8 jhti ent in New Hamp
shire
Will the scores *ontinue to rise '
We hop** so, some of the education reforms we
keep hearing about seem to lx1 taking hold. Ever
son said
Keith (’anger, president of the 2.1 million-mem
ber National Education Association, sounded a
note of caution, saying he wanted to see increases
for three or four years before concluding the tide
has turned.
Stewart noted a 10-point improvement in the
average math score in the past decade since pub
lu at ion of A Nation At Risk, a scathing critique of
the nation's schools by a presidential commission.
It called for tougher standards, longer school days
and higher pay for teachers to combat "a rising tide
of mediocrity."
According to the College Board:
• On the math section of the test, the 78,000
Asian-Americans who took it averaged 535; the
100,000 blacks, 388. and the 670.000 whites. 404.
• On the verbal section, whites averaged 444;
Asian-Americans. 415; and blacks, 353.
• Since 1076. the math scores of blacks have
gone up 34 percent and blacks' verbal scores have
gone up 21 percent. The math scores of whites
have risen 1 percent, and whites' verbal scores
have declined 7 percent.
SAT scores in Oregon reached their highest lev
el in 21 years in 1093, according to figures from
The College Board, which administers the tost.
For the third year in a row, Oregon ranked first
among the 23 states where at least 40 percent of all
high s* hool graduates look the lost, which mea
sures verbal and mathematical skills needed for
college.
Fifty six [H-ri ent of the state's graduates took the
test this year.
Oregon students scored an average of 492 on the
math test, up six points from last year, and 441 on
the verbal test, two points better than the 1992
average The math total was an all-time high for
the state
Academic Learning Services
Supporting students in their academic endeavors
■
sPHUStRf' /j
. .. -• /rrli
Struggling
with a
class?
Using a tutor could he the answer!
Small group and individual tutoring available tor most
courses at reasonable rates. All tutors have (acuity
references.
A tree, drop-in math lab is open .it the Center during
weekdays to assist students with math concerns.
Need help with writing?
A writing lab at the center is staffed w ith English
graduate students to help students w ith their academic
w riting. Not an editing service, but individual tutorials
offered weekdays on a drop-in. free basis.
Planning on graduate school?
Workshops to help students prepare for graduate school
exams are available each term through Academic
Learning Services. The fall schedule includes:
GRE Preparation:
Session I I lest: October V, /VV ?>
Sept 2H, 2'i. 30; Oct. 3. 6. 7
3:00 pm 7:(X)ptn
(Kt 4 practice exam
3 30 pm - d (X) pm
LSAT Preparation:
Session I (Test: October 2. /VV.t)
Saturday. Sunday & Tuesday
Sept. 23 \ 26
10 tX) am - 2 (X) pm
Sept. 2X practice exam
6 (X) pm l) 30 pm
GMAT Preparation:
(Test: October lb.
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Sept. 2X, 30; Oct 3. 7. 12. 14
3 30 pm • 3 (X) pm
Oct 1 3 practice exam
3:30 pm 7(X)pm
Session II (Test: December II. /VW)
Nov 6. 13. 20. IX‘c 4
9 IK) .im 1 2 IK) pin
IXc 2 practice exam
8 ik) pm 8 to pm
Session II ( Test: December 4. /VVJ)
I tiesclav. Wcdncvlav \ Fhursduv
Nov. 9, 10. 11. 16. 17. 18
3 30 pin 5:(K) pm
Nov 23 practice exam
3 30 pm 7:0t) pm
Tutoring, drop-in labs, and workshops in test preparation for graduate school are just a few of the many services provided through
Academic Learning Services. The Center is located off the south courtyard, lower level of Prince Lucien Campbell Hall (PLC).