(AP) -- The high school class of 2006 recorded the sharpest drop in SAT scores in 31 years, a decline that the exam's owner, the College Board, said was partly due to some students taking the newly lengthened test only once instead of twice.

Fatigue wasn't to blame, the College Board insisted, even though this year's class was the first to take a new version of the exam which added an essay. It now takes an average of three hours and 45 minutes to complete the test, not counting breaks.

The results come several months after numerous colleges reported surprisingly low SAT scores for this year's incoming college freshmen. The nonprofit College Board, which had said scores would be down this year, released figures Tuesday showing combined critical reading and math skills fell seven points on average to 1021.

The average critical reading score fell from 508 to 503, while math dropped from 520 to 518. On the new SAT writing section, the class scored 497 on average, with girls scoring 11 points higher than boys.

In addition to the new writing section, the exam taken by the class of 2006 had other new features, including higher-level math and the elimination of analogies.

The College Board noted the drop in math scores amounts to one-fifth of one test question, and the reading to one-half of one question. But over about 1.5 million test-takers such drops are significant, and this was the biggest year-to-year decline since the class of 1975.

The results come two weeks after it was announced the class of 2006 had posted the biggest score increase in 20 years on the rival ACT exam. The ACT, which is also accepted by almost all colleges that require standardized tests, is generally more focused on material covered in high school classes than the SAT, which is more of a measure of general ability. But more students in traditional SAT states like Connecticut and New Jersey appear to be taking both exams to try to improve their applications to selective colleges.

The initial indication SAT scores were down this year prompted speculation students may have been tiring out toward the end of the marathon exam.

But in announcing the scores, the College Board said an analysis of 700,000 critical reading and math exams taken in the spring and fall of 2005 showed students were performing about the same early and late in the exam.

Instead, the College Board explained the drop by saying fewer students were taking the exam a second time, which typically boosts scores 30 points. The price of the test has risen from $28.50 to $41.50, though fees are sometimes waived.

Experts say the changeover in exams probably affected how students approached the test, and thus the scores. Students in the class of 2006 had the chance to take both the old SAT exam, until midway through their junior year, and the new SAT after that. If they did well the first time out, some may have opted to stand pat with those scores. Some colleges continued to accept scores from the old test during the bridge period.

"When a new test is introduced, students usually vary their test-taking behavior in a variety of ways and this affects scores," College Board President Gaston Caperton said in a news release.

On the SAT, boys' scores fell eight points from 513 to 505 in critical reading and from 538 to 536 in math. Girls' scores fell from 505 to 502 in reading and from 504 to 502 in math.

Average reading scores for black students rose 1 point from 433 to 434, while math scores fell two points from 431 to 429.

The College Board lists three categories for Hispanic students. Scores for Mexican-Americans rose three points overall, Puerto Ricans' fell two points and scores of students who identified themselves as "Other Hispanic" fell 11 points.

The kids aren't dumber... they aren't being taught. It used to be that nothing got in the way of schoolwork. Now schoolwork gets in the way of.. the part-time job, the video games, the after-school activiities, and just hanging out at the mall or the movie theater.

No child left behind =

I’m going to tell you that you have to be smarter----No funds will be allocated to assist you and if you do not get smarter it’s because you’re lazy or you’re just stupid to begin with. But------at 18—vote for my brother because we didn’t leave you behind. Oh yea---and make sure that you register for selective service so we know who you are when you can’t find a job. We don’t pay that well in the service but it’s better than being left behind!

Politicians keep raising the bar and demanding more whilst slashing budgets and expecting kids and teachers to do more with less and less.

It's easy to say 'let's set higher goals and demand more' and good ear candy for politicians, who then slash budgets, cut staff, cut special ed, cut teaching assistants, cut ESL, increase class sizes to cut down on staff needed and introduce more and more 'standardized' tests and league tables which give no consideration to schools in poorer areas with less support from parents, more non english speaking people, etc, etc.

And then people wonder why the desired results fall short DOH !!

I Agree With leedsquietman

Just a thought when he does run for president, because we all know he will-- Jeb Bush attempted to overturn the voters' mandate for smaller class sizes, and he failed. But the fact that he even tried tells you how much respect he has for education and the public. Yes, I know it costs more money. It costs more in the long run to pass a bunch of kids through school without even teaching them to read and write.

I really dont use anything that was taught to me in high school in everyday life... nor on any job Ive had... nor in college...
I couldve "graduated" the 8th grade and gone on to college (or vocational school) for my higher education.
Delete the current system and reboot an all new one. No more quick fixes.

This doesn't surprise me. I wonder if all states are like South Carolina and their
"Experimental Education Programs"? I'm 33 and those started when I was like second or
third grade and still continue. The state buys into these corporate experimental education programs and
when the kids do not understand what is going on they are still passed on to the next
grade and get sudden amnesia about last year's "Program".

For instance my brother whom is 31 now was first taught to read without phonics. The experiment
"Give children common word lists and by memorization will know how to read." My cousin was also
a product of this failed experiment. I had to show my brother how to sound out words.
I also assisted with my cousin whom by 5th grade still could not read.

My own experience was the "Math Program". Basically like multiplication they never gave an explanation
of how do do the problems. No this was much more sinister. Basically we were given a huge wall chart of
the tables and we basically copied these for homework, tests etc. Sure we memorized some of the answers
but were never taught the concept of what we were doing. The next year out of 25 students only 3 knew
how to multiply numbers. More Osmosis learning.

My brother's step-son three years ago was being taught from a new program by adding numbers backwards. Yes
you heard that right adding numbers backwards! The program's goal was to experiment with math through left
to right like reading and to get answers "close enough". Her explanation was that calculators give exact
answers and that was not their goal with this "program".

It just peeves me that when they realize these experiment programs do not work it's the kid that holds the bag
and these "programs" are denied ever existing!

yeah, seems no one wants to be held responsible for ill-advised ideas and programs that don't work out

i recall herbert cole thirty years ago promoting the open classroom concept
(he made a pile of money with his best-selling book)
lately i noticed the last of the schools still having some open classrooms finally had walls put in
i wonder how many kids' learning had been disrupted by all the distractions that the open concept caused nationwide during all those years

education is too much swayed by fads
somebody with a clever-sounding approach and with credentials and with a best-selling book can launch a thousand school districts into motion

meanwhile someone clueless like me who doesn't use capital letters or end punctuation can always resort to blaming inferior education
(wink)

as an aside:
Posted by leflaw on August 29, 2006 at 10:59 AM
"No wonder music sucks. High school kids are dumber."

you're just kidding, right
or i'll take issue with that position
you don't necessarily need high-quality formal education to write or play good music

"Delete the current system and reboot an all new one. No more quick fixes."

Computer repair mebbe is your job profession? I only ask and suspect this because, most of what I was taught in school is worthless for the job I have, a job I was planning to do since I was a kid.

You know what they say, Ignorance is bliss, especially to politicians who depend on stupid people in order to pass their crazy laws like say the DMCA? Or how about monopolistic companies who depend on stupid people to support thier views and unfair practices in order to stay a monopoly and maintain control of what people consume. The RIAA and the music indusry is a good example of that.