SAT scores plunge at CHS, EJCHS

The SAT is a college entrance exam designed to test how well high school students learn subject matter and use critical thinking skills. The test has three sections -reading, math and writing - each worth 800 points, for a highest possible score of 2,400.

Statewide, public school students scored an average SAT score 1,442, while the national average was 1,497.

However, SAT average scores rose at Jackson County Comprehensive High School and Jefferson High School to surpass the national average.

For JCCHS, the average SAT score jumped from 1,475 in 2009 to 1,525. The average rose slightly at JHS from 1,562 to 1,566.

The average SAT score for public school students in Georgia, however, fell slightly from 1,450 in 2009 to 1,442 in 2010. A total of 74 percent of graduating seniors took the SAT this year, according to the state department of education.

State officials said in a press release that students who take more demanding honors or AP course also tend to have higher SAT scores.