Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Asian Americans are still at the top with whites close behind, but other minority students have made broad gains in recent years. Boys remained ahead of girls, but girls are moving faster up the scholastic steps, according to scores released for the just-revised entrance exam, the most widely used by colleges.
Education Secretary Richard W. Riley attributed improvements to students' taking tougher classes, especially math and science.
``You have to be willing to take the difficult courses, and those kinds of things are paying off,'' he said.
``We still have a gap between students who have stronger opportunities and those who haven't,'' he added. ``The gap needs to close faster. We still have an awful lot of work.''
The national average on the verbal test increased from 423 in 1994 to 428 in 1995, while math scores rose from 479 to 482.
Boys scored 429 in the verbal portion compared with 426 for girls. Among ethnic groups, whites were the top scorers, with a 448 average.
In math, boys bested girls 503-463. Asian Americans were the top scorers, with a 538 average.
In 1994, the name of the examination was changed to the Scholastic Assessment Test from Scholastic Aptitude Test.
Other major changes were made, too: The 1995 test was greatly modified to emphasize reading comprehension and math problem-solving over multiple-choice questions and rote memorization. Students also can use calculators, and they have 15 more minutes to solve problems on each test.
SAT officials said the revised test isn't easier or tougher - just different - so scores should be about the same as for the old tests.
The overall verbal score was the highest since 1988. But the 1995 mark is quite a comedown from the late 1960s and early 1970s when students consistently scored in the 450-460 range, and it's a breathtaking drop from several decades ago when the average was 500.
In math, one has to go back to 1973, with an average score of 481, to find results on a par with 1995. Math scores hit bottom in 1980 at 466 and have been mostly rising since, especially in recent years.
``Education seems to be turning around,'' said Donald M. Stewart, president of The College Board, which administers the SAT. ``This is the best prepared class in recent memory.''
by CNB