9-26 and 27-13 NJ Students SAT Scores Improving
The Record 9-27-13 New Jersey SAT scores up, but wide racial and economic gaps remain…see breakdown of scores

Star Ledger 9-26-13 N.J. SAT score leaps 10 points; Class of 2013 outpaces national average… New Jersey's average SAT score went up 10 points this year, according to a new report from the College Board

NJSpotlight -By the Numbers 9/27/13: SAT Scores for New Jersey‘s Class of 2013 Up 10 Points…Mean scores climb but results show significant gaps remain across social, ethnic, racial and economic lines

The Record - New Jersey SAT scores up, but wide racial and economic gaps remain…see breakdown of scores

 

Thursday September 26, 2013, 12:07 PM  BY  DAVE SHEINGOLD  STAFF ANALYST

 

	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
New Jersey	499	522	500	1521
United States	496	514	488	1498
Gender	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
Male	502	537	495	1534
Female	496	508	505	1509
School type	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
Independent private	590	602	595	1787
Religiously affiliated	520	524	523	1567
Public	495	521	496	1512
Other or unknown	442	450	436	1328
Race and ethnicity	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
White	522	542	523	1587
Black	425	434	420	1279
Asian/Pacific Islander	551	611	565	1727
Native American	459	478	459	1396
Other race	494	517	496	1507
Puerto Rican	446	460	445	1351
Mexican	432	459	428	1319
Other Hispanic	444	468	446	1358
Family income	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
$0-$20,000	416	441	416	1273
$20,000–$40,000	451	475	449	1375
$40,000–$60,000	471	493	469	1433
$60,000–$80,000	489	508	486	1483
$80,000–$100,000	501	523	500	1524
$100,000–$120,000	513	532	512	1557
$120,000–$140,000	512	536	512	1560
$140,000–$160,000	523	548	526	1597
$160,000–$200,000	535	558	535	1628
More than $200,000	567	593	573	1733
Intended college major *
Top 5	Reading	Math	Writing	Total
Physical sciences	549	587	542	1678
Social sciences	565	555	558	1678
English, literature	571	530	567	1668
Engineering	535	596	532	1663
Biology	541	568	546	1655
Bottom 5
Visual and performing arts	497	498	496	1491
Psychology	497	495	497	1489
Education	477	494	484	1455
Engineering technician	467	520	462	1449
Security and protective services	440	460	437	1337
* categories with at least 500 students
Top 10 intended college destinations	State	Type	Number of applicants
Rutgers University	NJ	Public	25,231
Montclair State University	NJ	Public	11,046
College Of New Jersey	NJ	Public	9,518
Rowan University	NJ	Public	8,350
William Paterson University	NJ	Public	7,171
Drexel University	PA	Private	6,834
University Of Delaware	DE	Public	6,493
Seton Hall University	NJ	Private	5,887
Penn State	PA	Public	5,554
Ramapo College	NJ	Public	5,371
Richard Stockton College	NJ	Public	5,250

SAT scores for New Jersey high school students ticked upward again this year, the sixth year in a row the state has seen small gains in performance. The total average score of 1,521, combining reading, math and writing tests, is up from 1,499 in 2007. But wide disparities remain between racial and ethnic groups, types of schools and students from different economic backgrounds, according to an analysis by The Record of 2013 SAT scores released by The College Board. Private school students far outpace their public school peers as do Asian-Americans and children from upper-income backgrounds. In addition, boys continue to score better than girls on reading and math tests while girls do better on the writing portion of the SAT exam. The report also includes the major college destinations for graduating seniors, with Rutgers, Montclair State and the College of New Jersey topping the list.

 

Star Ledger -N.J. SAT score leaps 10 points; Class of 2013 outpaces national average… New Jersey's average SAT score went up 10 points this year, according to a new report from the College Board

 

By Star-Ledger Staff Jeanette Rundquist, Kelly Heyboyer  Follow on Twitter 
on September 26, 2013 at 6:06 AM, updated September 26, 2013 at 11:50 AM

 

TRENTON — The average SAT score jumped 10 points for New Jersey students this year, one of the biggest leaps for the state in years on the high-stakes college entrance exam, according to data released early today.

 

In New Jersey, 83,489 members of the Class of 2013 — or 78 percent of graduating seniors — took the SAT, according to the College Board, the nonprofit group that oversees the national test.

New Jersey’s mean score was 499 in critical reading (up 4 points over last year), 522 in math (up 5 points) and 500 in writing (up 1 point), according to the College Board’s report.

In the world of college-readiness testing, yearly increases and decreases of a few points are closely tracked by educators. A double-digit jump in points is considered unusual in a state where a large percentage of students take the SAT.

 

However, nearly 1,400 fewer New Jersey students took the test this year, compared to 2012, which could explain some of the gains, according to the College Board’s report.

Christopher Cerf, the state’s education commissioner, said the state should be proud of the increasing scores.

 

“New Jersey students continue to outperform their peers across the country, and while we still have more work to do to ensure that more of our students are truly college- and career-ready when they graduate, we are proud of what they have accomplished,” Cerf said. “We owe all of our educators a debt of gratitude for their hard work and persistence every day in our classrooms.”

New Jersey’s gains come as the national average remained unchanged. The mean SAT score was 496 in critical reading, 514 in math and 488 in writing, the same as last year.

 

College Board officials said the stagnant national scores are a sign the country needs to do a better job preparing students for college.

 

But critics of high-stakes testing said the scores are another sign that the SAT is losing its relevance. A small but growing number of colleges do not require applicants to take the SAT. The number of students taking the rival ACT college readiness exam is also increasing, said Bob Schaeffer, public education director for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a nonprofit advocacy group known as FairTest.

 

“No wonder the new College Board president is scrambling to overhaul his company’s flagship exams,” said Schaeffer, a longtime SAT critic. “The college admissions marketplace is moving away from the SAT.”

 

College Board officials said students, especially minority and low-income students, need to take more rigorous courses, including Advanced Placement classes, to prepare for the SAT and college.

 

“Taking rigorous courses in high school matters. And it matters in college readiness, and ultimately in college success,” said Cyndie Schmieser, the College Board’s chief of assessment. “When students are prepared for college, they are significantly more likely to succeed.”

 

More minority and low-income students are taking the SAT nationwide, according to the report. Nearly 23 percent of the Class of 2013 — or more than 387,000 students — used “fee waivers” to take the $50 SAT for free under a College Board program, a spokeswoman said.

And in an increasing number of districts, students are taking SAT tests for free during the school day, instead of on the usual Saturday morning testing days.

 

In 2010, the College Board began “SAT School Day” as a way to make the tests more accessible to students with part-time jobs or family responsibilities. School districts and states pay the cost of the tests.

 

This year, school-day tests will be offered to students in a handful of districts in New Jersey — Elizabeth, Bloomfield, Jersey City and Bergenfield — as well as to all public school juniors in Delaware and Idaho and to public school juniors and seniors in the District of Columbia.

 

In the Elizabeth School District, the SAT will be a graduation requirement for all students, beginning with the current senior class. Elizabeth will give the test for free during the school day for the first time, which will cost the district $64,000.

 

Like other districts, Elizabeth does not have its most recent SAT scores yet, but officials noted test scores have increased 4 percent in the district in the past six years.

District spokesman Don Goncalves said Elizabeth believes taking the college admission test is crucial.

“We talk about it all the time,” Goncalves said. “We’re preparing them not only their high school diploma, but for post-secondary education.”

 

According to this year’s report, nearly 40 percent of New Jersey students asked that their SAT scores be sent to Rutgers University. The next-highest schools were Montclair State University, the College of New Jersey, Rowan University, William Paterson University, Drexel University and the University of Delaware.

 

NJSpotlight -By the Numbers: SAT Scores for New Jersey‘s Class of 2013 Up 10 Points…Mean scores climb but results show significant gaps remain across social, ethnic, racial and economic lines

John Mooney | September 27, 2013

 

New Jersey students – public and private – saw a 10-point overall increase in their mean SAT scores last year, a notable jump on a test on which overall results usually hardly budge in any given year. The increase in New Jersey’s scores was especially notable in a year in which the national mean scores were mostly unchanged.

But the numbers behind the numbers released by the College Board yesterday tell a host of other stories, too, showing that public schools are making progress but also showing that there wide gaps remain.

New Jersey’s State Profile Report includes interesting findings on such topics as what courses see the smartest kids and what colleges and majors are preferred.

Here are some of the SAT scores and other highlights in (mean scores, where applicable):

·         New Jersey overall: 499 reading; 522 math; 500 writing (US: 496 reading; 514 math; 488 writing)

·         Public schools: 495 reading; 521 math; 496 writing

·         Religious schools: 520 reading; 524 math; 523 writing

·         Independent schools: 590 reading; 602 math; 595 writing

·         Overall male: 502 reading; 537 math; 495 writing

·         Overall female: 496 reading; 508 math; 505 writing

·         Overall participation: 83,485 test-takers (87% public; 10% religious; 3% independent)

·         White: 522 reading; 542 math; 523 writing

·         Hispanic: 522 reading; 542 math; 523 writing

·         Black/African-American: 425 reading; 434 math; 420 writing

·         Asian-American: 551 reading; 611 math; 565 writing

·         Family income under $20,000: 416 reading; 441 math; 416 writing

·         Family income over $200,000: 567 reading; 593 math; 573 writing

·         Average GPA English: 3.36 (out of 4.0)

·         Test-takers studying calculus: 31 percent (574 math score, the highest mean in mathematics)

·         Test-takers studying British literature: 34 percent (517 reading, the highest mean in the language arts)

·         Test-takers studying physics: 60 percent (556 math, the highest mean in the sciences)

·         Test-takers studying European history: 20 percent (533 reading and writing, the highest mean in the social sciences)

·         Test-takers studying Latin: 6 percent (555 reading and 552 writing, the highest mean in the languages)

·         Test-takers studying theater: 11 percent (530 reading, the highest mean in the arts)

·         Top 5 intended majors: Health professions (16%), business/management (13%), engineering (8%), visual/performing arts (9%), biological/biomedical sciences (6%)

·         Top 5 colleges applied (SAT scores sent): Rutgers (39.7 %); Montclair State (17.4%); College of New Jersey (15%); Rowan (13.1%); William Paterson (11.3%)

·         Top 5 Out-of-State Colleges: Drexel (10.8); University of Delware (10.2%); Penn State (8.7); Northeastern (6.9%); NYU (6.8%)