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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2001

The SAT scores for American Indian and Alaska Native students dropped slightly over the past year, although Native Americans are among the highest scorers on the entrance exam, the College Board reported on Tuesday.

According to the Board, which administers the SAT, the average verbal score in 2001 for Native students was 481, a one-point drop from last year. The average math score dropped two points over the past year from 481 to 479.

Native students still fall below the national average. The average verbal score was 506, up one point from the year prior, while the average math score was 514, representing no growth.

The dip in scores among Native students represented an overall trend among high school students who took the test. Although scores have risen to an all-time high, growth is slowing.

The drop among Native American scores was also evident among African-American, Mexican-American, Hispanic and "Other" students -- those who did not report or fit into the standard categories. Scores among these groups have all fallen from the year prior.

Also, the gap between minority and non-minority grade point averages is widening, although just slightly among Indian students. The average GPA for Native American students was 3.14 on a 4.0 scale.

Over the past decade, Native students have shown improvements on the test. On both the verbal and math sections, the average score has jumped 11 points.

Among minorities, Native students have the second highest average scores. Asian-Americans have the highest.

About 1 percent of students who took the test in 2001 reported they were American Indian or Alaska Native. More minority students than ever took the test in 2001, representing a third of all test takers.

Factors that contribute to higher scores include taking subject like physics, pre-calculus and calculus, said the College Board. Parental education levels also contribute to higher scores.

The SAT is more prevalent in Eastern states, where Indian populations are smaller. Ivy League and more selective schools accept both the SAT and ACT, a test more commonly required by schools in Western states.

Native students performed differently depending on the state. In Oklahoma, the state with the second largest Indian population, the average scores (math: 575, verbal: 550) were the second highest in the state after Whites.

Get the Report:
College Bound Seniors: 2001 | State by State

Relevant Links:
The College Board - http://www.collegeboard.com

Related Stories:
College Board releases report (8/30)
Selected SAT® scores by state (8/30)