The average score for Coweta County seniors taking the SAT 1 college entrance exam last year was 1504, compared to 1472 for the state of Georgia and 1511 for the nation as a whole, according to figures released by the College Board on Tuesday.

Newnan High School and Northgate High School exceeded the national average SAT score, with scores of 1518 and 1515 respectively, while East Coweta tallied a 1481 score. Northgate, Newnan and East Coweta High School all exceeded the average SAT score for the state of Georgia.

Northgate students surpassed the national average for the third year in a row, after tying the national average in 2004. Newnan High School surpassed the national average once before in 2002.

Beginning in 2006 the SAT 1 introduced a new writing test, in addition to the math and verbal sections of the test. The average SAT 1 test score for 2007 Coweta County high school seniors rose over 2006 verbal and math sections of the test, and dropped on the writing portion of the exam.

Newnan High School and Northgate High School seniors outscored the national average on SAT’s verbal section.

In 2006, the state of Georgia’s average SAT score was 1472, Coweta County’s average SAT score was 1508 and the national average score was 1518. Georgia's score dropped 5 points, Coweta County dropped 4 points, and the nation fell 7 points on average SAT scores in 2007.

Combined math and verbal scores for Coweta County as a whole is 1017, which matches the national average of 1017.

Students may take the SAT multiple times. The College Board reports the scores of seniors taking the test during the past scholastic year, and reports only the most recent score if a student takes the test again during the school year. A student’s total score tends to rise between a first and second taking of the test, particularly with additional preparation.

National and state scores tend to show very small changes from year to year because of the large pool of test-takers. With 500 to 600 students taking the test in Coweta County, scores tend to fluctuate one year to the next. For example, the school system-wide average rose 11 points in 2005, after dropping 7 points during the 2003-04 administration of the test.

Raising SAT scores has been a goal of the Coweta County School System during the last decade, accomplished by emphasizing vocabulary, math and critical thinking skills in high school curriculum, as well as strong Advanced Placement offerings and SAT preparatory courses.

The SAT 1 (also known by its previous name, the Scholastic Aptitude Test) is designed for students who have been enrolled in traditional college preparatory classes and plan to attend a 4-year college or university. Any student who wishes to take the test in Coweta County can do so. Large percentages of seniors in Coweta County and the state of Georgia typically take the SAT when compared to other states.

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