CER Back-to- School Alert 2000
3^rd in a series from CER

A CLOSE LOOK AT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
SAT and NAEP scores reflect minimal progress

(Washington, DC 8/30/00) US achievement remains steady at unacceptable levels of progress, according to analysis of both the latest SAT scores and the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

        Both indicators help policymakers and the public better understand the depths of student learning. However, the SAT's myriad changes over the last several years have made it a less effective barometer of what college-bound kids know.

        Blazing on network news, the College Board ­ sponsor of the SATs ­ boasted that SAT math scores hit a "30 year high reflecting strong gains for American Education." Not so coincidentally, in 1996, the College Board said the SATs were at a record high in 25 years. Not said is that the kids who've taken the test over the last five years ARE TAKING A DIFFERENT TEST!

The Facts About the SATs:

• The tests have changed dramatically. The math test as of 1995 allows students to use calculators and gives them an additional 30 minutes. In 1999 it was reported that questions with alleged bias were purged, including math questions upon which the College Board found that some groups (i.e. minorities, woman, etc) performed more poorly.

Despite additional changes to the verbal section, verbal SAT scores remain constant at the recentered 2000 score of 505. Beginning in 1995, the students taking the SAT saw fewer questions, longer reading passages, and no antonym section. Tutoring firms say the "new" SAT is more coachable.

• Highest Scorers Losing Ground. The largest decline over the last two decades continues to be among top scoring students. In 1990, 4 percent of students reported grade averages of A+ and averaged 622 on verbal and 631 on math. This year, 7 percent report A+ averages and their SAT scores dropped to 610 and 628 for verbal and math, respectively. Over the twenty years from Œ75-95, the number of college bound students who scored above 600 on the verbal test slipped 36%.

• Minorities Gain Ground But Only Slightly: The scores of African-Americans and Hispanics, for example, increased 6 points and two points, respectively, in ten years in verbal, and similar gains in math. African-Americans still trail whites by 104 points in math and 94 in verbal.

        The NAEP scores magnify these trends, but this year's report makes comparisons to previous proficiency scores almost impossible. It's not clear why, and we'll be studying it closely over the days to come, but for now, it's clear that students are still at significantly lower levels of achievement than the reports may indicate:

        For example, nine-year old reading scores haven't improved since 1980. In math, 17 year olds saw a slight increase in scores, and gradually 13 year olds have marked a six-point increase, but in both reading and math, the black-white achievement gap has widened, despite reports that blacks are taking more advanced courses. In science, there was a slight dip for high school seniors and nine-year olds. Across the board, while more attention's being paid to education, and pressure is mounting on the existing system to improve, more coursework and better grades aren't translating into better results. 

See also:

WATERED-DOWN VERSION: SAT losing credibility as yardstick, by Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform, September 20, 2000

AVERAGE MATH SAT SCORE HIGHEST SINCE 1969, by Arlene Levinson, Associated Press, August 29, 2000

        More data and past years' analysis of these achievement trends can be found below: 

THE SAT SCRAMBLE: All about the latest tinkering and tweaking...

• SAT Trends, 1996-2000

• The Demise of the SAT, September 3, 1999.

• What Works and What Doesn't: Dumbing Down the SAT, Monthly Letter to Friends, August 1999

• This Won't Be on The Test: "To Spot Bias in SAT Questions, Test Maker Tests the Test," By Amy Dockser Marcus, The Wall Street Journal, August 4, 1999

• SAT Scores: THE AMERICAN EDUCATION DIET: Can U.S. Students Survive on Junk Food?, June, 1998

• SAT Increase -- The Real Story, Part II, August 22, 1996

• SAT Increase -- The Real Story , August 24, 1995

The Nation's Report Card: National Assessment of Educational Progress

• NAEP Score Trends, in Reading, Math and Science, 1969-1999; includes minority breakout and racial gap

• CER Newswire, November 23, 1999: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Civics Report Card

• CER Newswire, October 1, 1999: The Latest NAEP Writing Scores

• GETTING WRITING WRONG: Results from the National Writing Assessment, September 28, 1999

• THE AMERICAN EDUCATION DIET: Can U.S. Students Survive on Junk Food?, June, 1998

    Background on the Relationships among NAEP, Standards and Testing 

• This Isn't Only A Test, By Chester E. Finn Jr., The Weekly Standard, July 21, 1997

• Testing Our Kids: New Education Standards Should Be Set by States, by Jeanne Allen, March 16, 1997

• NATIONAL TESTS: A YARDSTICK TO LEARN BY By William J. Bennett; Chester E. Finn Jr. The Washington Post, September 15, 1997

(Next Back to School report: A look at the reasons beyond why we are making marginal progress, and how, contrary to the Rand report, real structural reforms factor into progress for many children.) 

# # #

The Center for Education Reform [CER] is a national, independent, non-profit advocacy organization providing support and guidance to individuals, community and civic groups, policymakers and others who are working to bring fundamental reforms to their schools. For additional information on education reform please call CER at (202) 822-9000.

CER Home Page CER News Alerts Back To School Series E-Mail CER