Portland Metro Area SAT Scores 2009, 2010 & 2011

Class of 2011 Oregon SAT: Oregon 4th Highest Scores

Average test scores for Oregon's high school class of 2011 were the lowest in a decade, though they were good enough to keep Oregon scores above the national average, ranking 22nd.

Oregon's high school class of 2011 tested three points lower on average, for example, than 2010 seniors in the SAT's critical reading and mathematical sections - 520 and 521, respectively. Those were also the lowest averages for the state of the last decade. Results for the third section, writing, remained at 499. SAT scores are based on a scale of 200 to 800.

Still, Oregon's dipping scores beat the national averages in reading (497), math (514) and writing (489). Oregon's lower performance mirrored the national dip in scores, which had the lowest national average in reading since 1972.

In Oregon 15,763 public high school students, or 89 percent of the state's total number of possible test takers, completed the exam. This year, they scored lower in each category compared with 2010 averages.

Oregon was, once again, eclipsed by students on the other side of the Columbia River. Average scores for Washington students exceeded Oregon in every section - 523 in reading, 529 in math and 508 in writing. Since 2002, Washington students have generally outscored Oregon students. Washington students’ average combined score in reading, math and writing was 520, higher than all states in which at least 30 percent of its students tested. The percentage of students tested is significant because generally the more students who test, the lower their scores. However, Washington has bucked that trend through most of the past decade.

New Hampshire had the second highest average score of 519.6, followed by Massachusetts (516), Oregon (513), Vermont (512.6) and Connecticut (511.6). Washington had the nation’s highest score in math (529), was tied for first with New Hampshire in reading (523) and was fourth in writing (508) of states with 50 percent or more participation.

Source:  "SAT scores for Oregon high school seniors trend lower but still above national average."  September 15, 2011. The Oregonian.

Class of 2010 Oregon SAT: Reading Scores Improve

Oregon’s SAT scores improved by two points in both reading and writing this year, according to data released by The College Board today on the class of 2010. Though average math scores were unchanged, Oregon students scored above the national average in all three subjects.

In critical reading, Oregon students scored an average of 521, 23 points above the national average of 498. In math, students scored 523, 12 points above the national average of 511. And in writing, Oregon students earned a score of 496, eight points above the national average of 488. Over the past decade, several studies have highlighted lagging performance by boys in reading on state tests and colleges have reported that girls are earning better grades and graduating more often.

In Oregon, the number of girls taking the SAT increased by nearly 3 percent in 2010 while the percentage of boys taking the test decreased by nearly 1 percent. Still, boys scored 5 points higher on reading in 2010, outperforming girls and the state average.

Of the 14,000 Oregon students who took the SAT before March 2010, 23 percent were students of color – the highest rate ever recorded in the state. Just ten years ago, that number was 14 percent.

Source:  The Oregonian, "Oregon Public Schools Students Increase Participation and Reading Scores on SAT."  September 13, 2010.

Class of 2009 Oregon SAT:  Lowest Scores in Years

Scores on the widely watched college entrance exam for the Oregon class of 2009 were lower than they have been in years according to results from the College Board, which runs the test.

Writing was a problem for the 18,000 college-bound students in the class of '09 who took the SAT. They averaged 499 on a scale of 200 to 800, a 3-point drop from the previous year and the worst showing by an Oregon graduating class in the four years the SAT has included a mandatory writing section.

Math was also a problem as Oregon students' performance on the math section of the widely used college-entrance exam was the worst in a decade.

The state school board has agreed to raise the bar for academic achievement in high schools. But higher standards for high school math achievement have been delayed so that this year's incoming freshmen will be out of high school before they take effect. The Oregon Board of Education voted in June 2008 to require high school students, beginning with those now entering their sophomore year, to pass state exams in reading, math and writing in order to get a diploma - a standard now met by only one in three Oregon students. Then in December, the board decided to postpone the math requirement for two more years, saying schools don't have enough money to add additional classes and tutoring that would be necessary to get all students up to par in math.

For much of the 1980s and 1990s, Oregon had the highest SAT scores in the nation among the 21 states where at least half of graduates take the exam.

Students in Oregon's largest school district, Portland, bucked the state and national trends. Portland's average SAT score rose 20 points - a huge gain by historical standards - thanks to improvements in all three subjects.

In Oregon, the ethnic makeup of SAT-takers was largely identical in the class of 2008 and the class of 2009: 78 percent white, 9 percent Asian American, 7 percent Latino, 2 percent African American and 2 percent Native American.

Class of 2008 Oregon SAT

Scores on the widely watched college entrance exam fell last year to their lowest level since the late 1990s and did not rebound in the class of 2008, according to results from the College Board, which runs the test.

Nationally, average SAT scores for the class of 2008 were identical to those for the class of 2007. The national scores:  502 in reading, 515 in math, and 494 in writing.  A perfect score is 2,400; 800 points in each section (reading, math, and writing).

In Oregon, they rose one point each in math and in reading, not considered a statistically significant change. The nation's stagnant SAT performance was chalked up to more students, including a record-high number of minority students, taking the test. Minorities have historically received lower scores on the test.

In Oregon, fewer students in the class of 2008 opted for the SAT as the competing ACT exam became more popular. Statewide, 18,377 students took the SAT, down 230 from the previous year, while about 10,600 took the ACT, a one-year jump of 4,200.

For the sixth straight year, Washington students posted the highest average SAT scores among states in which more than half of eligible students took the test.  Oregon, which in previous years usually were second place, dropped to a tie for third this year, due primarily to Oregon students' poor showing on the newest section of the SAT, a writing test. New Hampshire ranked second and Massachusetts, where the average score rose by six points this year, tied Oregon.

ACT

The ACT covers reading, English, writing, math and science. The test also asks students for their high school grades and course information. It is designed to measure whether high school graduates are ready for the academic challenge of college.  The primary difference between the ACT and the SAT is that SAT is a reasoning test, while the ACT measures performance in core subject areas.

In 25 states, ACT is the predominant college-entrance exam taken by students. In other states, including Oregon and Washington, the SAT is the primary college-entrance test, and only a small share of students take the ACT.  In Oregon, starting with the class of 2008, the number (as well as the percentage) of students taking the ACT is gaining. The ACT is popular for those students aiming for selective universities in the Midwest.

Class of 2010 ACT Test Results

Oregon students in the class of 2010 scored slightly higher on the ACT college entrance exam than last year’s students, according to data released by ACT in August of 2010. About 33 percent of graduates (11,579 students) took the exam during their high school career.

Oregon’s average score increased slightly from 21.4 in 2009 to 21.5 in 2010 while the national average declined from 21.1 in 2009 to 21.0 in 2010. Although Oregon’s average score increased for the third year in a row, just 27 percent of students who took the exam were deemed college ready in all subjects. ACT sets a benchmark minimum score in each subject-area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of scoring a B or higher in the college course focused on that same subject. Nationally, 24 percent of 2010 graduates met the College Readiness Benchmarks in all four subjects.