State SAT results exceed national average
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MADISON – A news release by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction stated that the 2012 SAT college admissions exam exceeded national averages and participation in the Advance Placement program continued strong growth.
The state had four percent (2,782) of its 2012 public and private schools graduates take the SAT at some time during their high school career.
Wisconsin’s mean score for critical reading was 594 on a scale of 200 to 800, compared to a national critical reading score of 496.
In mathematics,Wisconsin students averaged 605 compared to the national mean score of 514. The writing mean score was 577 in Wisconsin compared to 488 nationally.
Overall participation in the SAT has been declining. Far more Wisconsin students take the ACT for college admissions.
Results announced earlier this summer showed 71 percent of 2012 graduates took the ACT. Their scores also were above the national average, tied for second in the nation with Iowa among ACT-taking states.
“Wisconsin graduates who take the SAT had strong overall results”, said State Superintendent Tony Evers. “The big story from The College Board is our continued growth and solid performance in the Advanced Placement program. Advanced Placement gives students a jump start on postsecondary studies and offers preparation for the challenges of college and careers”.
The College Board’s preliminary data on Advanced Placement (AP) results showed a 6.5 percent increase in participation in Wisconsin from the last year.
The state had 33,455 students who took AP exams last spring. Students of color were nearly 12 percent of AP test-takers in 2012.
Even with increased participation, Wisconsin students continue to have a strong success rate on AP exams. The percentage of students earning scores of three, four or five was 68.4 percent, 9.1 percentage points higher than the national average.
The AP exams are scored on a scale of one to five. Students who had a three or higher have “passed” the exam and typically are eligible for course credit at most colleges and universities.
“With our efforts to increase Advanced Placement participation through face to face and online instruction, dual enrollment agreements and other opportunities, Wisconsin is offering lots of ways to engage students and help them pursue rigorous studies,” Evers said. “We need to continue these efforts so our students truly are prepared for college and careers”.
Over the past year, Wisconsin has expanded dual enrollment programs with the University of Wisconsin Colleges.
Students across the state can access courses from the 13-campus UW Colleges in their high schools via classroom teachers and online.
The Wisconsin Digital Learning Collaborative also was formed this year to offer more than 200 courses for both middle and high school students.
The online and blended learning opportunities are available to all students in the state and include a number of AP courses.
Students also can earn transcripted credit at both the high school and technical college level through transcripted tech prep and apprenticeship courses offered with the Wisconsin Technical College System.
The Youth Options program allows high school students to take courses at University of Wisconsin campuses, technical colleges or other institutions of higher education.
The Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs are exam-based options for earning college credit.
The College Board administers both the SAT and the AP testing programs. The SAT is administered at various times throughout the school year. AP exams test student’s college-level subject knowledge.
The exams, administered in spring, generally relate to AP coursework taken in high school. The College Board will release a more detailed analysis of AP results in its annual “AP Report to the Nation” in winter of 2013.