For the first time this year, the College Board released the annual test results of its three programs—AP, SAT, and PSAT/NMSQT—in one report. The news is mixed. On the upside, an unprecedented number of students, including a large increase in minority and low-income students, participated and succeeded. Of the 1.67 million students who took the SAT, nearly half were minorities and nearly a fourth were low-income students. And the number of high school students who succeeded on at least one AP exam (earning at least a 3 out of 5) doubled in the past year. On the other hand, the results reveal at least three problem areas. First, too many students are missing out on opportunities. Thirty-nine percent of the 684,577 students who showed AP potential (indicated by high PSAT/NMSQT scores) didn’t enroll for a single AP class. Likewise, for SAT takers, 9 percent were close to achieving the college and career readiness benchmark and might have succeeded with less than a year of additional instruction. The SAT Benchmark is a combined score of 1550 and indicates a 65 percent likelihood of achieving a B- average or higher during the first year of a four-year college. Second, using this same SAT figure, the majority of high schoolers still aren’t prepared for college or career; and the proportion who are, 42.6 percent, hasn’t increased in the last year. Third, achievement gaps abound. Only 15.8 percent of African American, 23.4 percent of Hispanic, and 33.5 percent of Native American SAT takers will be ready come freshman year, compared with 42.6 percent overall. The report offers a vivid and holistic view of today’s students. And, despite some encouraging progress, we have a long way to go.
SOURCE: “2014 College Board Program Results,” The College Board (October 2014).
