Georgia Is All Business as It Moves to Improve State’s Showing on SAT

Columbus, Ga.

Students aren’t the only ones in Georgia fretting over scores from the recent SAT exams.

More than perhaps any other state, Georgia has linked its reputation as a place to live, send children to school, and do business to the state’s performance on the college-entrance test.

Since Gov. Sonny Perdue launched a statewide effort two years ago to raise those scores, the state has inched upward—from 50th place nationally to 49th. And if all goes well this spring, its efforts will continue to pay off with higher average scores, increased participation,...