News Article - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Contact:	Jacqueline Reis 781-338-3115

Massachusetts Students Outscore National Average

Student Participation and performance on AP exams on the rise

Malden - Governor Deval Patrick today announced that Massachusetts public high school students continue to outperform the national average on the 2014 SAT exam. This year's results also show that SAT participation by Hispanic students and African-American students increased by 10.7 percent and 2.5 percent respectively since 2013. The 2014 results, released today by the College Board, show that Massachusetts public high school students had an average score of 507 in Critical Reading, 523 in Mathematics, and 498 in Writing in 2014. Additionally, participation by Massachusetts ninth- through12th-graders in Advanced Placement (AP) exams rose by 7.5 percent in 2014, and the number of exams on which students scored 3, 4 or 5 (out of 5) increased by 7.4 percent. Massachusetts is second in the nation behind Maryland in terms of 11th- and 12th-graders' performance on AP exams. "I applaud students in the Commonwealth for once again setting high standards in student achievement," said Governor Deval Patrick. "The fact that we not only continue to beat the national average, but that we are seeing more of our students challenging themselves by taking AP coursework and exams is a credit to the hard work of our students and educators statewide." "Students in Massachusetts have much to celebrate today with the release of the SAT results," said Secretary of Education Matthew Malone. "I am proud of our students' accomplishments, which wouldn't be possible without the dedicated teachers who go above and beyond to ensure all the students we serve are prepared for college and career." The average SAT score for Massachusetts public high schools was 507 in Critical Reading, compared to 506 in 2013. In Mathematics, it was 523, compared to 522 in 2013. On AP exams, black and Hispanic students continue to make strong gains in participation and performance. Participation among black and Hispanic students increased 12.6 percent and 15 percent respectively in 2014, and the number of exams earning scores of 3 or higher increased 14 percent among black students and 19.4 percent among Hispanic students. "I am pleased to see our students continue to outperform the national average on the SAT, and I am happy to see an increasingly diverse group of students enroll in Advanced Placement classes," said Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester. "Their success in AP demonstrates what students can achieve when exposed to a rigorous course of study." Other SAT results for Massachusetts showed:

Eighty (80) percent of Massachusetts public high school students in the class of 2014 took the SAT in high school.
The number of seniors who take the SAT has increased over the past five years, from 45,670 in 2009-10 to 49,761 in 2013-14.
SAT participation by Hispanic students (+10.7 percent), Asian students (+4.1 percent) and black students (+2.5 percent) all increased between 2013 and 2014.
Since last year, scores in Critical Reading increased for Asian students (from 521 to 524), black students (from 421 to 423) and white students (from 525 to 528) but declined for Hispanic students (from 432 to 429).
In Mathematics, scores increased for Asian students (from 585 to 586), black students (from 433 to 434) and white students (from 537 to 540) but declined for Hispanic students (from 448 to 445).
In Writing, since last year, scores increased for Asian students (from 518 to 525), were flat for black students (415) and declined for Hispanic students (from 426 to 420) and white students (from 519 to 518).

For additional information on the state's performance on the 2014 SAT exams, visit the College Board's website.

Last Updated: October 7, 2014