SAT Pressroom
Sept. 14, 2011
43 Percent of 2011 College-Bound Seniors Met SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark
Nearly 1.65 Million Students Take SAT®; 2011 SAT Takers Largest and Most Diverse Class in History
The College Board today announced that 43 percent of 2011 college-bound seniors met the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark. The SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark represents the level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success and completion. The SAT Benchmark is the most reliable tool available for measuring the college and career readiness of groups of students. It was developed to help secondary school administrators, educators and policymakers evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs in order to better prepare students for success in college and beyond.
The College Board also announced that more college-bound students in the class of 2011 took the SAT than in any other high school graduating class in history. Nearly 1.65 million students from the 2011 graduating class participated in the college-going process by taking the SAT. In addition, the class of 2011 SAT takers represented the most diverse class in history underscoring the College Board's continued commitment to access, equity and minority participation.
Comparing SAT Scores
Media and others often rank states, districts and schools on the basis of SAT scores despite repeated warnings that such rankings are inappropriate. The SAT is a strong indicator of trends in the college-bound population, but it should never be used alone for such comparisons because demographics and other nonschool factors can have a strong effect on scores. If ranked, schools and states that encourage students to apply to college may be penalized because scores tend to decline with a rise in percentage of test-takers.
More About College-Bound Seniors
Total Group Report: Includes data for all graduates of the Class of 2011 who took the SAT and SAT Subject Tests™ during high school.
More
State Reports: Includes data for all graduates of the Class of 2011 who took the SAT and SAT Subject Tests in each of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia during high school.
More
Impact of Course-Taking Patterns and Academic Intensity on SAT Performance
The SAT continues to underscore the value of a rigorous high school education. Data confirms that students that complete a core curriculum and enroll in honors and/or Advanced Placement® courses perform better on the SAT, as do those students who take the PSAT/NMSQT®. More
Trends in College-Bound Seniors SAT Participation and Performance
More college-bound students in the class of 2011 took the SAT than in any other high school graduating class in history. Nearly 1.65 million students from the 2011 graduating class participated in the college-going process by taking the SAT. The class of 2011 SAT takers represented the most diverse class in history, underscoring the College Board’s continued commitment to access, equity and minority participation. More
SAT Benchmark
- The SAT Benchmark as a Measure of College Readiness
- Unique Characteristics of the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark
- Percentage of 2011 College-Bound Seniors That Met SAT Benchmark
- Percentage of 2011 College-Bound Seniors That Met SAT Benchmark – by Ethnicity
- Percentage of 2011 College-Bound Seniors That Met SAT Benchmark – by Parental Education
- Percentage of 2011 College-Bound Seniors That Met SAT Benchmark – by High School Curriculum
- Percentage of 2011 College-Bound Seniors That Met SAT Subject Level Readiness Indicators – by AP or Honors Participation
SAT Research
Validity:
- Validity of the SAT for Predicting FYGPA-2007 SAT Validity Sample
- Correlations of Predictors with First-Year College Grade Point Average (pdf/65K)
Retention:
- Is Performance on the SAT Related to College Retention?
- Second-Year Retention Rate by SAT Score Band (pdf/53K)