Illinois SAT scores beat U.S. average // State's math scores rise, verbals dip

Illinois students outpaced their peers nationally on this year'sScholastic Assessment Test, the College Board announced Tuesday.

Average national math scores on the SAT rose three points to511, the highest in 26 years. Verbal scores of 505 countrywideremained unchanged, according to the board, the nonprofit group thatoperates the SAT program.

In Illinois, where 17,078 students were rated, the average mathscore was 578, up three points from last year. Average verbal was562, down two points from 1996.The tests are scored from 200 to 800. There were 4,625 studentsnationwide who scored 800 in verbal assessment and 5,088 who receivedperfect scores in math.Illinois scores tend to be higher than the national averagebecause relatively few students take the SAT - about 14 percent ofgraduating students. Many are students at the top of their classestrying to get into prestigious universities.The ACT college assessment test was taken by 959,301 Illinoisstudents this year. Results released earlier this month also showedthe state's students surpassing national averages.A profile of the 1.1 million college-bound students who took theSAT test and answered a survey showed U.S. students are taking morehigher-level math and science courses, such as calculus, chemistryand physics, but fewer English courses."While more students are taking rigorous math and sciencecourses, and SAT math scores are rising, verbal scores are in a stateof limbo," said Donald M. Stewart, president of the College Board."Many variables can affect the development of verbal skills, butthe fact that students are taking fewer English courses in highschool may be part of the reason for the lack of improvement,"Stewart said.But the public education director of a nonprofit watchdog groupTuesday warned against taking either the SAT or ACT too seriouslybecause they tend to value "strategic guessing" rather than analyzingproblems or writing coherently."The tests are just snapshots of how well kids filled in bubblesfor 3 1/2 hours on a Saturday morning," said Robert Schaeffer, anofficial with Cambridge, Mass.-based FairTest.