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SAT SCORES STILL SINK
It is a news story that has become very
familiar over the past decade. A few weeks
ago, the people who administer the College
Board's SAT exams reported the average scores
for high school seniors taking the test in
2011. Georgia students did not do as well
as we would hope. For the fifth consecutive
year, the average SAT score of our students
declined, and the state ranks below nearly
every other state.
Georgia students scored 1,445 out of a
maximum score of 2,400. That was six points
lower than the 2010 score and 55 points
lower than the national average. Only
two other states—South Carolina and
Maine—had lower average scores
than Georgia.
That ranking at the bottom
of the SAT barrel has been the
case for a long time. In 2002,
when Gov. Roy Barnes was in a
heated race for reelection against
Sonny Perdue, the SAT scores
were released in the middle of the
campaign. Georgia's average score
had not increased from the year before,
and the state ranked 50th. Perdue blamed it
on Barnes' education reform program that was
highly unpopular with schoolteachers.
"I'm ashamed of the record here in Georgia
where Roy Barnes' program, in blaming teach
ers, has caused us to come in at 50th out
of 50 in the United States in education,"
Perdue said at a news conference. "Totally
unacceptable."
Perdue soon took over as governor and
began dismantling much of Barnes' education
reform program, most notably by allowing
schools to go back to larger class sizes. Perdue
also signed a series of budgets that cut state
funding for K-12 education by a combined
amount of nearly $3 billion during his two
terms.
How did all of that work out?
During Perdue's first year in office, Georgia
again ranked 50th in average SAT scores. In
his second year in office, Georgia actually
climbed to 49th place, moving slightly ahead
of South Carolina. By Perdue's third year in
office, Georgia had slipped back into a tie
with South Carolina for last place.
Even with these low rankings, Georgia's
average SAT scores were still improving by
three or four points a year. Those modest
improvements ended in 2006 when the state's
combined score on the math and verbal sec
tions dropped by three points.
In 2007, the state's average score declined
by five points. The average score dropped by
an additional six points in 2008, by six points
in 2009 and by seven points in 2010.
That's not a good trend, and it
indicates we don't do a very good
job of educating our kids. Some
would argue that the decreasing
SAT scores are a sign we should
put more money into upgrading
our schools, rather than continue
down the path of cutting state
funds for education. That is not
what a majority of Georgia voters
want, however. They have made it
clear they would rather keep taxes low
than spend additional money on education.
In 2006, voters could pick between Perdue
or a Democrat more amenable to the idea of
increased spending on education, Mark Taylor.
The voters elected Perdue by a margin of
nearly 20 points.
There was the same clear choice in 2010.
Roy Barnes said the state should put more
money into schools. Nathan Deal opposed
extra spending and said he favored giving
schools more "flexibility" in how they used
existing resources. Voters again made their
preference known, electing Deal by a smaller
but still decisive 10-point margin.
We don't spend as much money as other
states do on education, and it shows in our
test scores, but that is what the voters want.
In our democratic system, they are the ones
who will ultimately make that decision.
Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com
THIS W*RL»
ALSO COMING UP: TEAMS Of THE
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MIDDLE-MAN
WAS A Dlf-
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SORT Of DEM
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WHO AGREED
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AND: THE IMPLAUSI6LE MENACE Of
CRATf TEXAS BIBLE MAM!
.08AL WARMING
A HOAX'.
SOCIAL SECURITY
IS A SCAM!
6 FLAGPOLE.COM • SEPTEMBER 28,2011
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