2nd SAT Dip in Row Stirs Debate on 2005 Revision

Last week’s announcement that composite SAT scores dipped for the second year in a row since the college-entrance exam’s overhaul in 2005 has sparked debate over the significance, if any, of such short-term declines.

Although the drop to an average of 1511 on a scale of 2400 was slight in percentage terms, average performance among the 1.49 million 2007 graduates who took the closely watched 81-year-old exam fell on all three sections of the test.

On a scale of 200 to 800 points, the average scores dropped 1 point on the critical-reading section, to 502; 3 points in mathematics, to 515; and 3 points, to 494, on the writing section, now...