CER Press Release
Washington, DC
September 14, 2011

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 comes 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. Get the SAT 2011 Breakdown here.