SAT Scores Remain Level in California : Education: Small gain nationally reflects ‘painfully slow academic recovery’ from record lows in 1990.

Scholastic Aptitude Test scores nationwide rose slightly for the second consecutive year and a troublesome downward spiral in the scores of virtually all ethnic groups has halted at least temporarily, the College Board will announce today.

California’s scores remained relatively stable, with math staying the same and verbal scores dropping a point--a reflection of the state’s large population of students with limited ability in English, state authorities said. In the Los Angeles Unified School District, scores lagged well below state and national averages.

The small gains nationwide by the Class of 1993 have given educators little to cheer about, however, and represent a “painfully slow academic recovery,” with this year’s results still significantly below those of the previous generation, said Donald M. Stewart, president of the College Board, which administers the SAT.

Nationally, the test scores are creeping away from record lows in 1990 that experts attributed to television, inadequate education and a larger number of immigrant test takers. This year, the average performance in the verbal section rose 1 point to 424, while the mathematics average rose 2 points to 478.

When added to a similar rise last year, the increasing scores become noteworthy because “we think this may be the beginning of a trend,” said Howard Everson, senior research scientist for the College Board. “We don’t want to make a whole lot of noise over a 1- or 2-point rise, but it does make us hopeful.”

The SAT test is among the most influential national barometers of educational achievement among college-bound high school seniors. Most four-year colleges use the scores to help determine admission eligibility.

This year a record 1 million students--including more women and minorities than ever--took the dreaded 2 1/2-hour, largely multiple-choice test. About 30% of the test takers were racial and ethnic minorities, double the level of 1976. And 53% were women.

But wide gaps in test results remain between men and women, and most minorities score significantly lower that Anglos.

Anglo students, for instance, scored 91 points higher in verbal skills than African-Americans, and 70 points higher than Mexican-Americans. Overall, blacks and Mexican-Americans are among the lowest-scoring ethnic groups, while Asian-Americans are the highest.

There were several bright spots this year, however. Although their average scores are lower, college-bound black and Mexican-American students did better than they have in years, with both groups scoring 3 points higher in math than they did last year. In verbal skills, African-Americans scored 1 point higher and Mexican-Americans showed a 2-point increase.

“Their academic preparation is growing stronger and the college aspiration levels are there,” Everson said. “These kids have it in their sight that the SAT is something they are going to take and college is a place they want to go.”

But, Stewart cautioned, “too many students are not being held to rigorous academic standards or exposed to a challenging curriculum.”

Compared to women, men scored 8 points higher in verbal skills and 45 points higher in math. This disparity is a continuing source of debate, with some critics charging that the tests are gender-biased.

“The very nature of the SAT, a fast-paced, high-pressure, multiple-choice test with a high premium on guessing is a game in which boys excel,” said Bob Schaeffer, education director for FairTest, a Cambridge, Mass.-based group that monitors standardized tests. “Who knows what the cultural or biological reasons are, but girls are more inclined to try and think through a problem, weigh all the options. And that puts them at a strategic disadvantage.”

His group advocates making SAT an optional test.

College Board officials deny that the test is biased, saying it is one of the most highly scrutinized standardized exams in the nation. Officials cite differences in the academic preparation between men and women as one explanation for the gulf in math scores in particular.

Although more women take algebra and geometry courses, more men enroll in advanced math courses, such as calculus and computer math.

In California, the average math score was 484, the same as last year but above the national average of 478. The state’s verbal scores dipped 1 point to 415, and are far below the national average of 424. State education officials attribute the lower scores to language problems of California’s many immigrant students.

“Far more low-income and minority students take the test in California than nationally, yet despite increased economic difficulties for both our students and our schools we continue to hold our own,” said William D. Dawson, acting state superintendent of public instruction.

He said the 1-point drop in verbal scores “should not be taken as a dreadful outcome,” and it should be noted that far more California students who took the test--20%--said English is not their first language. Nationally, 8% of this year’s college-bound seniors reported that English was not their first language.

Scores in the Los Angeles Unified School District compare poorly to state and national averages. In verbal skills, Los Angeles students averaged 355 points, 60 points below the state and 69 points below the national average. In math, the average score was 432, 52 points lower than the state and 46 points below the national average.

Other results showed:

* Asian-American students scored the highest of all ethnic groups in math, with 535 points--41 points higher than Anglos, who were in second place.

* The top three intended majors for college-bound seniors are health and related services (18%), business and commerce (15%) and social sciences and history (12%).

* Disparities persist between urban and suburban students. Students who live in large cities score about 12 points lower than the national average in verbal and 10 points lower in math. Suburban students, on the other hand, score about 17 points more than the national average in verbal and 20 points higher in math.

Scoring the Class of ’93

SAT scores for the Class of 1993 rose only slightly over the previous year. A total of 47% of 1993 graduates took the test in California, compared with 43% nationwide. Here are the national and California averages; individual schools and districts release their scores separately and at their discretion.

CALIFORNIA AVERAGES

YEAR VERBAL MATH *1983 421 474 *1992 416 484 *1993 415 484 NATIONAL AVERAGES YEAR VERBAL MATH *1983 425 468 *1992 423 476 *1993 424 478

Source: College Board