Schools

Howard County Schools Beat Maryland, National, SAT Trends

As SAT scores went down across the country, they rose in Howard, Montgomery and Anne Arundel Counties.

Schools in Maryland and across the country saw a six-point decline on their SAT scores, but in Howard County, there was a six-point improvement, according to the Howard County Times.

The class of 2011 averaged 1645 on the tests. Across Maryland, the average was 1492. Nationally, high school seniors had an average score of 1500. The highest scoring high school in Howard County was Centennial High, where students earned an average score of 583 in reading and 613 in math.

Students in Anne Arundel and Montgomery Counties also outscored the state and national average, according to the Maryland State Department of Education

Find out what's happening in Ellicott Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the Howard County school officials, nearly 80 percent of the class of 2011 – 3,129 students -- took the SAT, the most students in the school system’s history.

Rebecca Amani-Dove told the Times that the high number of students taking the test is not a fluke. "Nationally, there has been a push for more and more students to take the SAT, and districts and states throughout the country are focusing on readiness, and more students are participating," she said. "That's something very promising and good for our country, but you're going to see some fluctuations in the scores (because of that)."

Find out what's happening in Ellicott Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Participation in the test grew by 1 percent across Maryland, according to the state's Department of Education. 47,787 students in Maryland took the test in 2011.

And nationally, nearly 1.65 million students took the SAT; more than any graduating class in history, according to the College Board


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here