Local SAT scores fall by 20 points

While SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) scores gained a few points in the state and nation, the average score for Alleghany High School seniors dropped 20 points this year.

According to a release from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI), the statewide average score moved up three points to 1,001, breaking the 1,000-point threshold for the first time. The state average was 992 in 2001.

AHS students scheduled to graduate in 2003 averaged 972 on the test, down from 992 in 2002 and 995 in 2001.

The national average was 1,026, up six points from last year. Of the state's three-point rise, two points were in the verbal portion, from 493 to 495, with the mathematics average increasing from 505 to 506.

In Alleghany, the average verbal score dropped 19 points, from 481 in 2002 to 462 this year. The average math score went from 511 to 510. Administered by the college board, the SAT is used by many colleges to help determine how a student may perform and is one factor in considering college applicants. The maximum possible score is 1,600. Of the 2002-03 AHS seniors, 49 took the test, compared to 37 the previous year. However, with a larger graduating class this year, the participation rate remained about the same, 48 percent this year compared to 47.4 percent last year.

Statewide, the participation rate rose from 67 percent for 2002 to 68 percent for 2003. The national participation rate rose from 46 to 48 percent.

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