Iowa students perform well on SAT, but few take it

Iowa students continue to perform well on the SAT, the college entrance exam administered by the College Board.

With 3 percent (1,105) of 2009 graduating seniors taking the exam, the SAT is less predominant in Iowa than the ACT. Iowa students who take the SAT perform well, however, with the highest composite scores in the nation for reading, math and writing.

Iowa students posted SAT mean scores of:

• 610 in critical reading, compared with a national mean score of 501;
• 615 in math, compared with a national score of 515;
• 588 in writing, compared with a national score of 493.

The 10-year change shows a 16-point increase in reading and a 17-point rise in math.

Decade information is not available for the writing test, which has been administered since 2006.

Complete results are available at www.collegeboard.com