Maine’s SAT scores were lower than the national average for this past June’s class of graduating seniors and the greatest discrepancy was in math where Mainers lagged behind 17 points.
The test results, released Tuesday across the country, showed average reading scores for Mainers at 501 versus 503 nationally; math at 501 versus 518; and, writing at 491 versus 497. A perfect score in each category is 800.
SAT scores nationally also went down on the test, which was changed this year to allow for a separate section on writing. In years past, the test only produced verbal and math scores.
Maine also lost ground year over year. In 2005, reading/verbal scores were 509 and actually one point ahead of the national average. In math, Mainers in 2005 scored 505, lagging 15 points behind the national average. There are no comparative scores for the new writing portion of the test.
The test, administered by a national company and commonly used for college admissions, was taken by 73 percent of Maine seniors who graduated in 2006. The year before 76 percent of graduating seniors took the test.
Of the students taking the test, 42.3 percent asked that their scores be sent to the University of Maine in Orono; 22.7 percent to the University of Southern Maine; 10 percent to the University of Maine in Farmington; 6.8 percent to Colby; 4.7 percent to Bowdoin; and 3.7 percent to Bates.
Some students also asked that their scores be sent to community colleges, including 5.7 percent to Southern Maine Community College; 4.6 percent to Eastern Maine Community College; and, 2.9 percent to Central Maine Community College.
The scores released Tuesday do not include any results for the 11th-graders who were given the test this past April as part of the No Child Left Behind assessment. Those scores will be released by the state this fall, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Education.
Calls to the department for comment were not returned by press time.
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