Nevada students’ SAT scores released

CARSON CITY -- College-bound Nevada high school seniors who took the Scholastic Aptitude Test this year met the national average in critical reading, but they lagged in math and writing.

The College Board, which administers the exam to determine a student's preparedness for college, released the results Tuesday.

Students in Nevada and nationally had an average reading score of 501, results show.

Nevada students averaged 506 in math, compared with 515 nationally, and 479 in writing, compared with a national average of 493.

Boys scored slightly better than girls in critical reading -- 503 compared with 498 -- as well as in math, where boys averaged 534 compared with girls at 499. Girls, however, averaged higher in writing, averaging 499 compared with 486 for boys.

Overall, test scores for Nevada students have held steady over the past three years.

More importantly, state education officials said, is the increase in the number of Nevada students taking the exam.

"Over the years, the percentage of Nevada high school graduates taking the SAT has increased so that the profile has become more reflective of each graduating class," the officials said in a statement.

This year, 6,846 students at Nevada public schools took the SAT. Including those at private schools or taught at home, the number is 8,919 and represents a total participation rate of 42 percent, an increase of 7.5 percentage points over last year.