INDIANA SAT SCORES IMPROVE
POST-TRIBUNE
BY: POST-TRIBUNE & WIRE REPORTS

SAT scores for Indiana's high school class of 2005 improved by 5 points over last year to reach their highest-ever mark, but figures released Tuesday show the state still lags behind the national average.

Indiana students improved by 3 points to 504 on the verbal section of the test and by 2 points to 508 in math for an average cumulative score of 1,012.

That trend was mirrored by many Northwest Indiana students, even though some districts scored below the state average.

In Merrillville, Superintendent Anthony Lux reported that SAT scores of the town's high school students rose 10 points in math to 485 and six points in verbal to 476.

Lux said students are taking tougher courses and challenging themselves. He said the emphasis on state test-taking and remediation has had a positive effect, too.

As for the sharp math score spike, Lux said low faculty turnover in the math department, along with better curriculum mapping and a higher level of content made the difference.

At Valparaiso High school, Principal Patrick Weil said students scored 552 in math and 534 in verbal. That's up from 548 and 529 the previous year — even though 60 more seniors took the exam.

“This is very positive. More kids are taking the SAT and the scores are higher,” Weil said.

Crown Point High School students posted a 511 in verbal and a 527 in math, up from 507 and 521 in 2004.

“We surpassed the state and national averages,” Principal Ryan Pitcock said. “This increase is a five-year trend and this is the highest we've ever been. I'm excited about the growth of the students and the direction of the high school.”

Nationwide, students averaged a cumulative score of 1,028, an increase of 2 points over last year. The national average remained at 508 in verbal and increased 2 points in math to 520.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed said that although Indiana's scores remain below the national average, a greater percentage of Hoosier students took the SAT — about 66 percent of high school graduates — than the national average of 49 percent.

Indiana 2004 - 2005

Verbal 501 - 504

Math 506 - 508

Total 1,007 - 1,012

Nation

Verbal 508 - 508

Math 518 - 520

Total 1,026 - 1,028

Reed said the state continues SAT improvement to defy statistical trends that often push down overall test scores as the number of test-takers grows, including a 2 percent increase this year from 2004.

“It's very unusual for a state to be able to increase scores and also increase participation,” she said.

“We've been doing this since 1990.”

Indiana's average SAT scores have grown by 40 points since 1990, outpacing the national gains of 27 points during the same period, Reed said.