Susan Marthens

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(503) 497-2984

ABOUT SUSAN

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School Dist.
  High School

Portland School District

Summary

Oregon

California

Washington

USA

Source:  Oregon Department of Education - Report Cards

Class of 2008 Oregon SAT Highlights
 

Scores on the widely watched college entrance exam fell last year to their lowest level since the late 1990s and did not rebound in the class of 2008, according to results from the College Board, which runs the test.

Nationally, average SAT scores for the class of 2008 were identical to those for the class of 2007. The national scores:  502 in reading, 515 in math, and 494 in writing.  A perfect score is 2,400; 800 points in each section (reading, math, and writing).

In Oregon, they rose one point each in math and in reading, not considered a statistically significant change. The nation's stagnant SAT performance was chalked up to more students, including a record-high number of minority students, taking the test. Minorities have historically received lower scores on the test.

In Oregon, fewer students in the class of 2008 opted for the SAT as the competing ACT exam became more popular. Statewide, 18,377 students took the SAT, down 230 from the previous year, while about 10,600 took the ACT, a one-year jump of 4,200.

For the sixth straight year, Washington students posted the highest average SAT scores among states in which more than half of eligible students took the test.  Oregon, which in previous years usually were second place, dropped to a tie for third this year, due primarily to Oregon students' poor showing on the newest section of the SAT, a writing test. New Hampshire ranked second and Massachusetts, where the average score rose by six points this year, tied Oregon.

Class of 2007 Oregon SAT Highlights
 

The second year of results from the revised SAT showed that Oregon's college-bound students continue to have trouble on the new writing section. The class of 2007 did worse on average than the 2006 graduates on all three sections of the college entrance exam: critical reading, math and writing, which requires a 25-minute essay and multiple-choice questions.