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AUGUST 30, 2000

Math test scores for students throughout the nation are at an all-time high in over 30 years, according to the College Board.

The Board, which administers the SAT and other standardized tests, released its annual report on the incoming college class. The organization says students are entering college with better grades and better math and science preparedness.

Based on a scale of 800, the average math score reported was 514 and the average verbal was 505.

Verbal scores have been declining since the 1960s. In 1967, the average verbal score was 543. Math scores have also seen a decline, but in recent years have been rising.

Like all minority students' scores, the scores of Native students are below the national average. The average math score for Native American and Alaskan Native students nationwide was 481 and the average verbal was 482.

Native students scored higher than Hispanic and African-American students on both the verbal and math portions of the test. Of all minorities, only Asian-Americans scored higher than Native Americans, although Asian students outperformed all students on the math portion of the test.

From state to state, the results for Native students, however, differed widely. In New Mexico, where 3 percent of students taking the SAT were Native, Native American students had the lowest test scores of all students.

In Oklahoma, on the other hand, Native students outperformed the national average with a 554 verbal score and a 535 math score. Native Americans in that state represented 6 percent of the entire testing body.

Of the over 1 million students nationwide who took the test, about 1 percent identified themselves as Native.

The National Education Association said the College Board's report shows significant progress. "America's public schools are truly making the American dream a reality for more and more people every day," said NEA president Bob Chase.

For scores of Native students from particular states, view a selected number of states.

Get the Report:
2000 College-Bound Seniors, National Report (College Board August 2000)
2000 College-Bound Seniors Profile Reports by State (College Board August 2000)

Relevant Links:
The College Board - www.collegeboard.com
The National Education Association - www.nea.org