U.S. Students Continue to Stall on SATs

Latest review shows no improvement, widening of achievement gap

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, released the following statement regarding today's SAT score analysis for college-bound seniors:

"Student achievement remains stagnant, and we continue to let failure fester in our education system jeopardizing the future of our children and our country.

Over the past five years, our kids have failed to show improvement in critical reading, mathematics and writing. And the story is even worse for Hispanic and African-American students who continue to face wide achievement gaps when compared to white students.

The College Board highlights that more students than ever are taking the SAT for college admissions. But, the dramatic drop in scores over the past five years and the failure to improve shines a spotlight on the truth – more of our students continue to be underserved by their schools.

To make matters worse, recent ACT scores revealed that only 25 percent of the 2011 class could meet the benchmarks for college readiness in all four core subjects. It should come as no surprise that the United States has slipped to 16th globally in college education attainment, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

We must redouble our efforts to reform our education system and emphasize student achievement growth. Our kids need an education system that works for them and breaks free from the failing trends of the past."

For your reference, CER is providing a breakdown of SAT scores by GPA, ethnicity and class rank. Download the file.

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is the pioneer and leading voice for lasting substantive and structural change in the United States. CER has, since 1993, generated and shared innovative and actionable ideas and information, stimulated major policy changes, supported and enabled grassroots activism and increased media coverage on behalf of the movement to genuinely reform and improve educational options and performance in the U.S. We're proud to say that today more than 2 million children are enjoying the freedom to choose quality schooling options that were not available just 18 short years ago. http://www.edreform.com

SOURCE Center for Education Reform