COLLEGE PARK, MD (March, 2016) In 2015, SAT scores for college-bound high school seniors in the state of Maryland dropped for the fifth consecutive year, clocking in at 22 points lower than the national average for the combined mathematics and verbal sections of the test. Until 2005, Maryland's scores closely tracked national averages. However, over the past ten years, as national averages first declined and then held steady, the performance of Marylands college-bound seniors has increasingly fallen below that of their peers nationally. Whats behind these declining SAT scores and the growing disparity between the Maryland and national averages?
In a new data brief from the Maryland Equity Project, Dr. Joseph Popovich examines the trend and discusses its implications in light of the state’s goal of increasing its population of college graduates. He argues that the downward trajectory of SAT scores is related to the changing demographic composition of the college-age population in Maryland.
Dr. Popovich begins his inquiry by noting the differences between the demographics of test takers in Maryland and the nation as well as the considerable differences in SAT scores among racial / ethnic groups. Of particular concern are African Americans, who on average score the lowest on the SAT, both in Maryland and nationally, and who make up 32% of the test takers in Maryland, as opposed to 13% nationally. To widen the disparity, African Americans are the only racial group in Maryland to score below the national average of their racial peers.
Maryland has experienced a significant change in the composition of its K-12 public school population over the last decade, including a sharp decline in the number of White students and a large increase in Hispanics. Concurrently, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of low-income students eligible for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program – generally held to be a marker of family income and parental education, which are closely correlated to test performance. These demographic changes, Dr. Popovich points out, are now translating into changes in the composition of the college-age population.
To meet its ambitious goals for increasing the number of college graduates in the current climate, Dr. Popovich recommends that the state adopt a multipronged approach. Maryland must build the capacity of schools and districts to meet the needs of a diverse population and must also implement programmatic interventions, such as extra tutoring and mentoring services, the expansion of early education programs, and the adoption of strategies to support students on the path to college enrollment. Meeting its goals may require Maryland to devote extra attention to the needs of the lowest-income students, regardless of race or ethnicity.
At the college level, it will require addressing such issues as affordability, the transition from remedial courses to credit-bearing courses, transferring from community college to four-year institutions, and removing obstacles to college enrollment.
Click here to learn more about this and other MEP data and policy briefs.
Dr. Joseph Popovich is a fellow with the Maryland Equity Project (MEP). He was formerly Vice President for Planning and Information Technology at Morgan State University, where his research focused on the status of underserved populations and the role of HBCUs in educating these populations. Prior to his time at Morgan State, Dr. Popovich was Director of Policy Research for the Maryland Higher Education Commission. He holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Planning and Policy from the University of Maryland.
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