News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2003
Contact: Janet Rope
Voice: (703) 588-3118
Email: Janet.Rope@hq.dodea.edu

2003 SAT Scores for DoDEA Released
Strong Gains in SAT Scores Reported for DoDEA's Minority Students

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA—Dr. Joseph Tafoya, Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), today announced the 2003 SAT I results for the system, showing gains on both the verbal and math tests. DoDEA results on the verbal test increased by five points from 504 in 2002, to 509 in 2003. Results on the math test showed a gain of one point from 497 in 2002, to 498 in 2003. While increasing scores on both tests, DoDEA students maintained their high participation rate of 68% from the previous year. DoDEA students' 2003 SAT I participation rate of 68% was substantially higher than the national participation rate of 48%. The College Board's National Report on 2003 College-Bound Seniors warns that "scores tend to decline with a rise in percentage of test takers." Six DoDEA students earned a perfect score of 800 on the verbal test and four DoDEA students earned the top score of 800 in mathematics.

      DDESS students showed an increase of nine points on the verbal test and a five-point increase in math. DoDDS students increased their verbal score by four points and matched their math score from 2002.

      In 2003, DoDDS students continued the high rate of participation reached in 2002. The DoDDS participation rate reached 74% in 2002 and 2003, up from 70% in 2001. The DDESS participation rate changed from 39% in 2001, 49% in 2002, to 40% in 2003.

*Because ACT is the primary college entrance exam for Ft. Campbell and Ft. Knox students, the DDESS participation rate for the SAT is normally lower than the rate for DoDDS.

      African-American students scored 31 points higher than their peers in the nation on the verbal test and 21 points higher in math in 2003. While the nation's African-American students' scores have remained static over the past three years, African-American students in DoDEA have made a strong gain of 16 points on the verbal test and raised the math score by 24 points from 2001.

      Hispanic students in DoDEA outperformed their stateside counterparts in 2003 by 23 points on the verbal test. DoDEA's Hispanic students increased their average math score by three points, just one point lower than the national average for Hispanic students.

      Since 2001, DoDEA has funded the participation of all 10th grade students in the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) in an effort to encourage students to begin planning for post-secondary education early in their high school careers

      The SAT I is a three-hour test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities, related to successful performance in college. SAT I scores range from 200 (lowest) to 800 (highest), with the 2003 national average score of 507 for the verbal test and 519 for math. The SAT I is intended to supplement the secondary school record and other information about the student, in assessing readiness for college-level work. SAT scores are required by about 80 percent of four-year colleges and universities that have admission requirements.

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