ACT, SAT average scores show students face struggle for college success

Nevada's college-bound students are leaving high school with low chances of higher education success, according to their average SAT and ACT scores.

Nevada students scored slightly lower than the national average on the SAT last school year, but that's not saying much.

Only 43 percent of the country's SAT-takers achieved scores "associated with a high likelihood of college success," according to the College Board, which administers the SAT and which announced the results Monday.

"This report should serve as a call to action," College Board President Gaston Caperton said. "When less than half of kids who want to go to college are prepared to do so, that system is failing."

Last school year, Nevada's average student score was 1450, below the 1550 benchmark for good chances of college success. The national average was 1498 out of a 2400 perfect score. More than 11,000 Nevada students took the SAT last school year.

These poor results are nothing new. In the previous year, this same low percentage of students met the SAT benchmark.

The story's not much different with the ACT, which overtook the SAT last year as the nation's most popular college admissions exam. With 1.7 million takers, the ACT attracted about 2,000 more students than the SAT.

Only 25 percent of Nevada's 7,600 ACT test-takers met all four of its college-readiness benchmarks in English, math, reading and science. And only a third of Nevada students took the test last school year.

Nationwide, the results were the same with a quarter of ACT takers ready for college. Nevada students averaged a score of 21.3 out of 36, slightly better than the national average of 21.1.

"Far too many high school graduates are still falling short academically," ACT Chief Executive Officer Jon Whitmore said. "We need to do more to ensure that our young people improve."

Again, these results are nothing new. Between 22 and 25 percent of Nevada test-takers met the college-readiness benchmark over the past five years.

Bob Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, argued that the poor SAT and ACT results of recent years show the "colossal failure" of No Child Left Behind and high-stakes testing.

"Yet, so-called 'reforms' such as Race to the Top and NCLB waivers will actually increase the focus on test scores in the nation's public schools," he said.

Nevada received a No Child Left Behind waiver and is changing its curriculum and standardized tests.

The state has adopted a new curriculum, Common Core Standards, used by all but a few states. The College Board, which administers the SAT and is composed of more than 5,900 schools and colleges, played a role in the development of these standards.

Nevada will abandon the state's standardized tests for new ones based on the Common Core Standards. The new tests will be piloted in 2013-14 and implemented next school year.