SAT testing

By Jorie Schwab

Jorie Schwab is a senior and the editor and founder of the online Creative Arts Magazine. This is her fourth year writing for The Talon. Jorie is also a staff writer and section editor for online news source The Prospect, and enjoys working on fiction novels and short stories in her time off from journalism. She is also a high school athlete and avid reader. Her favorite book of all time is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas.

Posted: November 4, 2011

National SAT scores drop

What’s the true cause behind the decline?

By Jorie Schwab, Talon staff writer

Last year national average SAT scores plummeted six points to 1500, one of the lowest scores ever recorded, according to a report by the College Board.

The national average for writing was 489, a two point drop from 2010, the  national average for mathematics was 514, a one point drop from 2010, and the national average for critical reading was 497, a three point drop from 2011.

At Minnehaha Academy the average for the SAT was 1819, 319 more points than the average American student.

The cause of this drastic difference may be the teachers, or it may be individual studying.

“Studying can be inaccurate,” senior Allie Thomas said, “while you can always rely on teachers for correct answers.”

But not everybody agrees with Thomas. Some think that studying is more influential to your SAT score.

” [When you study] you’re focusing on what you need to do, not the whole classroom.” junior Maria Matthias said.

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