Minorities Show Gains in 1989 National SAT Averages

Average national scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test this year were almost the same as in the previous three years but remain significantly lower than those of 20 years ago, according to statistics released Monday by the College Board in New York.

However, College Board officials stressed that performances on the influential college entrance examinations by blacks, Asians and Mexican-Americans have improved substantially over the last decade, even though these minorities still lag behind whites in how well they do.

Nationally, the average score for all groups on this year’s verbal portion of the test fell one point from last year to 427. The score of 476 on the mathematical part was unchanged. Scores on either portion of the test range from a possible low of 200 to a high of 800 points.

Point Lower

In the verbal SAT, men on average scored 434, compared to 421 for women, both a point lower than the year before. In math, men garnered 500 points on average, up two points, while women scored 454, down one point.

In California, students this year scored 422 points on the verbal SAT, down two points from last year, and 484 on the math part, the same as in 1988. Those averages have remained fairly constant over the last five years.

Women and minorities long have alleged that the SATs are biased in favor of white men. The College Board, the education organization that designs the tests, denies those allegations and says the gap between white men and other groups reflect high school preparation more than anything else.

“Inequities still exist in the educational opportunities available to students,” College Board President Donald M. Stewart said in a prepared statement.

Decline in Scores

Critics of today’s schools stress that the average total SAT score in 1969 was 956, which is 53 points higher than this year’s score. They blame the decline on loosening curriculum standards.

Nevertheless, College Board officials are focusing on the achievements of minorities over the last 10 years. In 1989, blacks on average scored 351 in the verbal test, 21 points higher than in 1979, and 386 in math, 28 points higher. At the same time, the average scores of Asian-Americans increased 13 points to 409 in verbal and 14 points to 525 in math. Mexican-Americans were up 11 points in verbal to 381 and 20 points in math to 430.

Even with the increases, the test scores for whites remained markedly higher, for the most part. The average scores this year for whites nationally were 446 in verbal, up two points over the decade, and 491 in math, up eight.

‘Significant Success Story’

State Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig said the overall lack of improvement in California “conceals a significant success story,” that of higher scores by minorities. Since 1984, the total average score of blacks in California has increased 29 points to 760. The average score of Asians in the state is up 16 points to 904 and Latino scores are up 14 points to 806. During the same period, white totals went up 16 points to 956.

“We think we’re making good, steady progress,” Honig said Monday. He also stressed that 45% of California students taking the SATs come from minority groups, compared to 25% nationally.

Meanwhile, the 1989 results of the American College Testing Assessments, which also were released Monday, mirrored the same small overall change recorded by the SAT, its larger rival. The national composite ACT score in English, math, social studies and natural sciences was 18.6, down slightly from the 18.8 of the year before. ACT, which has very little presence in California, also showed evidence that the scores of minorities have improved in the last decade.

SAT SCORES FOR SELECTED ETHNIC GROUPS

VERBAL

1979 1989 10-YEAR CHANGE All Students 427 427 0 All Men 431 434 +3 All Women 423 421 -2 Asian American 396 409 +13 Black 330 351 +21 Mexican American 370 381 +11 White 444 446 +2

MATH

1979 1989 10-YEAR CHANGE All Students 467 476 +9 All Men 493 500 +7 All Women 443 454 +11 Asian American 511 525 +14 Black 358 386 +28 Mexican American 410 430 +20 White 483 491 +8