Broadneck Students Score Above Average on SAT Tests, Increase Participation

The average scores for students who took the SAT test in the 2010-2011 school year were higher than county, state and national averages.

According to data released by Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) last week for individual school overall performance, Broadneck seniors scored the following:

• Average SAT critical reading: 536
• Average SAT math: 555
• Average SAT writing: 518

For critical reading, both the county and state average score was 499. The national average was 497.

For math, average scores were: 521 in the county, 502 in the state and 514 nationally.

For writing, average scores were: 484 in the county, 491 in the state and 489 nationally.

The average combined SAT score for county seniors in the 2010-2011 school year was 1,504 points, which is four points below last year’s average, according to a statement from AACPS. Although average scores in the county were a bit lower than last year, AACPS said College Board data reveals county students exceeded average scores for the state for the 15th consecutive year.

The percentage of county students taking the tests jumped, with 339 more seniors taking it in 2010 than in 2009, according to AACPS. Broadneck increased its participation from last year by 10 percentage points.

"There were even bigger increases in participation among Hispanic students (up 23 points) and African-American students (up 16 points)," said AACPS spokesman Bob Mosier in a release.

Both the SAT and the ACT are standardized tests used to help colleges assess student applicants. According to Kaplan, both tests are taken over a three-hour period and are administered at designated sites on set dates.

The SAT has 10 parts:

• Three in critical reading
• Three in math
• Three in writing
• One experimental, which is unscored

For scoring, the SAT penalizes a student .25 of a point for each incorrect answer. The SAT has three scores for critical reading, math and writing—each ranging from 200 to 800 possible. A perfect score is 2,400.

The ACT test, an alternative to the SAT, is a curriculum-based measure of college readiness. The ACT has four sections (English, math, reading and science). The ACT does not have a penalty for a wrong answer. The number of county students taking the ACT also rose in 2010-2011, with 654 students participating, a 26-percent increase over the previous school year.

Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch Local Editor Mitchelle Stephenson contributed to this report.