California kids lag on SAT scores.

Students in California record below national average in reading, math tests, but outperform peers in writing

California’s Class of 2016 scored lower than the national average on SAT reading and math tests, although state students outperformed their national peers in writing, just-released scores show.

But the scores released late Monday may represent more than the state’s periodic fluctuation in national comparisons of reading and math. California’s sinking scores may reflect the SAT’s increasing democratization, with more students at differing levels of preparation taking the exam.

California saw a 1.6 percent increase in the number of seniors taking the test to nearly 241,600 students. According to the College Board, the private group that runs the test, the increase is due to districts like West Contra Costa, Oakland and San Jose Unified. San Jose Unified offers students the opportunity to take the test on a school day and pays the test

fee.

The College Board charges about $50 to take the SAT.

One of the leading exams used for judging applicants for college and scholarships, the SAT changed its content and format last spring, so current scores are not easily comparable to previous years.

On the 200-to-800 scale, Golden State seniors scored an average of 491 on critical reading and 500 on math, 3 points and 8 points below the national average, respectively.

In writing, however, California students scored an average of 485, 3 points above the national average — continuing an 11-year run of outscoring their peers nationwide.

Nationally, SAT scores in all three areas have been falling since 2005, after generally rising for 25 years.

As with California’s standardized tests, the national SAT scores revealed a wide socioeconomic achievement gap.

Latinos scored nearly 100 points lower than whites in both reading and math.

When gender is factored in, Asian boys scored the highest in math — 590 — and white boys scored highest in reading — 548.

The highest scores in writing were posted by girls in the “other” ethnic category — representing those not clearly in major ethnic groups — followed by white girls and Asian girls, who were 1 and 2 points lower, respectively.

The SAT scores also closely correlated with income: the highest scores were posted by children whose families earn more than $200,000 annually and the lowest were from students in families earning less than $20,000.

The pressure on college-bound students to boost SAT scores has become so intense that students often take the tests multiple times and many parents hire tutors to help their children prep for the exams.

The numbers released Monday represent an average of the highest score that students earned during their high school careers.

Students typically take the exam as juniors and seniors, but some also take it when they are younger.

According to the College Board, scores from the redesigned tests are not comparable to old tests. For instance, the writing component, once mandatory, became optional in the new test.

As a result, the old combined scale, which carried a top score of 2400, has been replaced with a 400-to-1600 scale.

Scoring of the new exams has eliminated the penalty for guessing and the new tests place greater emphasis on the meaning of words in context.

The College Board also has created sister SAT tests, one for eighth- and ninth-graders, and one for 10th-graders.