Score Drop Prompts Debate Over Effects of Revised SAT; Girls Outdo Boys in Writing

Several days after the College Board reported that scores on the reworked SAT showed the most significant drop in over three decades, experts were still speculating about the reasons for the decline and what its impact on college admissions might be.

Average SAT scores for this year’s high school graduates, the first to face the revamped test unveiled in March 2005, dropped a combined 7 points below last year’s composite scores on the mathematics and critical-reading sections, the New York City-based sponsor of the test reported on Aug. 29.

Some observers said the drop in scores could be partly explained by the revisions to the 80 year-old test, including the much-discussed addition of a 45-minute writing section, which made the SAT longer, and possibly more challenging. ( "SAT’s Next Chapter About to Be Written," ...