Fun with numbers
The media has been abuzz today with the news that the Class of 2005's SAT scores were the highest ever -- The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Arizona Republic, San Deigo Union Tribune and Charlotte Observer are among the 411 hits on GoogleNews. Here's what the articles aren't telling you:
Number of students in the Class of 2005 taking the SAT: 1,576,000
Number of students in the Class of 2005 taking the ACT: 1,186,251
Approximate graduation rate (proxy for SAT/ACT testtakers) for the class of 2005: 70%
Approximate number of students in the Class of 2005 not taking the SAT or ACT (i.e. not going to college): 1,183,821
The non-collegiate number's undoubtedly higher, since not everyone who graduates takes the SAT or ACT. And, of course, there's a huge gap when you disaggregate the data (approximate graduation rate for blacks and latinos is 50%).
So celebrate, America! The Class of 2005 is scoring a couple points higher on the math section of the SAT -- well, the Class of 2005 minus the million kids being left behind.
Number of students in the Class of 2005 taking the SAT: 1,576,000
Number of students in the Class of 2005 taking the ACT: 1,186,251
Approximate graduation rate (proxy for SAT/ACT testtakers) for the class of 2005: 70%
Approximate number of students in the Class of 2005 not taking the SAT or ACT (i.e. not going to college): 1,183,821
The non-collegiate number's undoubtedly higher, since not everyone who graduates takes the SAT or ACT. And, of course, there's a huge gap when you disaggregate the data (approximate graduation rate for blacks and latinos is 50%).
So celebrate, America! The Class of 2005 is scoring a couple points higher on the math section of the SAT -- well, the Class of 2005 minus the million kids being left behind.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 at 4:11 PM.
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