Georgia SAT, ACT scores lag nation

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Georgia SAT, ACT scores lag nation

Georgia students’ SAT scores declined slightly this year, but scores on the ACT, another popular college admissions exam, went up a bit. Georgia’s students posted the highest average ACT scores of any Southern state last year, just under the national average of 21.0

On the SAT, Georgia’s average scores are lower than the national average, and went down two points from last year in reading, two points in math and three points in writing.

But the numbers don’t mean much, according Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an advocacy group often critical of standardized testing.

Georgia students score higher on the ACT because relatively few students take that test, and those who do take it are often bright students looking to attend an out-of-state college that requires the ACT instead of the SAT, which is more popular in Georgia.

The real story in those numbers is that national averages have stayed about the same for years, according to Schaeffer, an indication that the federal No Child Left Behind reforms, with their emphasis on standardized testing, are not making much difference.

SAT

Number of Georgia students who took the test: 73,627

Percent of seniors: 73 percent

Average score: 1445

U.S. average: 1497

Barrow County: 1378

Clarke County: 1330

Commerce City: 1372

Jackson County: 1402

Jefferson City: 1537

Madison County: 1366

Oconee County: 1565

Oglethorpe County: 1377

ACT

Number of Georgia students who took the test: 50,697

Percent of Georgia seniors: 53 percent

Average score: 20.8

U.S average: 21.0

(System-level scores not available)