FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 1, 1998
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores for Madison Metropolitan School District students continue to outpace state and national averages as the numbers of students tested continues to rise.
Madison's average composite score reached 1254, up seven points from last year's total of 1,247 -- 23 percent above the national average. The state composite average reached 1,175, an improvement of six points, and nationally, the average increased by only one point, to 1017.
The composite score is a combination of the scores received on the verbal and math portions of the test administered by the College Board. A perfect score on each section is 800, for a total possible score of 1,600.
Math scores increased for the third year in a row, reaching 640 from last year's 631, their highest level in six years. Verbal scores stayed nearly the same, at 614 versus 616 last year. Overall, the average math score for District students was nearly eight percent higher than the state average and 25 percent higher than the national average. Verbal scores were almost six percent higher than the state average and more than 21 percent higher than the U.S. average.
Some 71 percent of Madison seniors taking the SAT had math scores above 600, and 62 percent scored above that level on the verbal portion of the test. Some 53 percent of Wisconsin students scored above 600 on the math portion and only 24 percent of students nationally did so. Only 47 percent of Wisconsin students and 21 percent of students nationally scored above 600 on the verbal portion.
Since the 1992-93 school year, the average math score for MMSD students has risen 31 points and the average verbal score has increased 19 points.
Some 26 percent of Madison high school students – more than one in four – took the college entrance exam during the 1997-98 school year, up nearly six percent since 1992-93. However, more Madison college-bound students continue to take the ACT. Some 68 percent of Madison students took the test during the 1997-98 school year – about six in ten students – due to the University of Wisconsin's admission policy that requires ACT results and no longer accepts SAT scores for Wisconsin residents.
SAT Mean Scores by Subtest -------------------------- Verbal Score Year District Wisconsin U.S. ------- -------- --------- ---- 1997-98 614 581 505 1996-97 616 579 505 1995-96 608 577 505 1994-95 600 574 504 1993-94 610 562 499 1992-93 595 560 500 Math Score Year District Wisconsin U.S. ------- -------- --------- ---- 1997-98 640 594 512 1996-97 631 590 511 1995-96 621 586 508 1994-95 619 585 506 1993-94 624 572 504 1992-93 609 566 503
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