Baltimore County Examines Decline In SAT Scores

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore County school officials say they are surprised by the large drop in SAT scores for 2011 seniors.

In results released this week, the county saw a 24-point drop, which was the sharpest decline for school systems in the Baltimore area. Average critical reading scores went from 492 to 486, math scores fell from 499 to 490 and writing scores dropped from 492 to 483.

The highest possible score on each section is 800 and the county was below the state and national averages in every area.

Assistant Superintendent Barbara Walker tells The Baltimore Sun that the results seem to be an anomaly because so many school systems saw a decline.

Walker, however, says that this year's seniors have outpaced the class of 2011 in early SAT performance.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)