Lowest ever SAT reading scores are cause for concern

SAT reading scores for the high school class of 2011 “were the lowest on record, and combined reading and math scores fell to their lowest point since 1995,” according to the College Board.

The current average reading score stands at 497, which is noticeably lower than the class of 2003’s score of 508 — the year No Child Left Behind went into effect.

This drop in scores could mean a multitude of things, but most importantly it signifies that students are not receiving enough assistance in secondary schools, and this lack of assistance could adversely affect their performance in competitive colleges such as USC.

In a society where many high school humanities curricula are based around teaching students how to produce five-paragraph essays and how to navigate tricky multiple-choice exams, the importance of seemingly simple reading skills is often neglected.

USC offers many reading-intensive courses making a high reading comprehension level necessary. Writing 140, the bane of every freshman’s existence, requires  proficiency in reading and, in turn, writing. Reading is integral to academic success in college, with many classes often requiring students to read up to 75 pages for each class. The national reading level must be raised for students to have a shot to keep up with the intense workload in college.

The comprehensive book reports, which implore students to gain an understanding of the books deeper than a SparkNotes analysis, has become a thing of the past.

To truly bolster the reading abilities of American youth, however, secondary school educators need to initiate programs and course requirements similar in nature to those of an elementary school curriculum so students can acquire the necessary skills to succeed in college.

One such initiative many schools have embraced as a successful and even enjoyable way of increasing literacy is the Accelerated Reader program that focuses on reading achievement rather than simply boosting reading test scores.

Providing such intensely personalized profiles for reading skills has paid off. Since Hawthorne Elementary School in Iowa implemented the AR program, the percent of fourth-graders who scored “proficient” on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills catapulted from 54 percent in fall 1998 to 91.6 percent in fall 2005.

What do these results prove? First, they show how important reading often is in overall improvement in critical thinking — a vital component for any college student. USC students, and all students in general, are constantly reading primary sources, textbooks, etc., and they’re expected to do so critically.

If a program such as AR were to be implemented in high schools, each student might be better equipped for the vigorous nature of college curricula.

According to CNN, the Department of Education has allotted $68.6 billion for its 2011 budget — money that should be used to install more AR programs because they are beginning to prove they work.

As of late, it’s becoming increasingly apparent SAT scores do affect college performance. Dean of Admission, Timothy Brunold, told the Daily Trojan “Test scores can help us predict how a student might perform academically at USC,” along with other carrying factors such as GPA.

So this sinking of test scores is alarming — could it perhaps be an indication students won’t be completely prepared for college academics at challenging universities like USC?

Interestingly, the College Board tried to downplay the significance of the sinking average scores, attributing the decline to an increase in “the record size and diversity of the pool of test-takers.”

The inflated number of students aiming for college, however, should not be viewed as justification for lower reading scores; Instead, it should motivate students and the educational system alike to focus more on reading skills.

Moreover, I find the College Board’s argument puzzling. Here at USC, the current freshman class is the most diverse to date, yet we are still far above the national average in SAT scores.

Reading is not a skill that can be properly quantified by a number on a test.

Educators need to do their part to ensure students are reading as extensively and as comprehensively as they can be — even if it means resorting to tried-and-true elementary school techniques.

The AR initiative could potentially affect the way a student performs in college.

 

Lindsay Dale is a freshman majoring in communication.