Along with a national drop in SAT scores, California’s average SAT scores have dropped three to four points since last year. The state’s average score was also below the national average in critical reading and math, both of which have dropped one and two points respectively.

As a result, some people have concluded that the quality of education has dropped, both in California and in the nation as a whole.

The decrease in scores simply means that more students are now contributing to a larger, more accurate representation of of all students' educational achievement.

One SAT-related statistic that didn’t decline was the participation rate. The last few years saw a 2 percent increase in the number of students who enrolled for the standardized test.

The smartest students at every school have always taken the test, so when more students take the test, the average score should be expected to drop.

If the SAT was mandatory and every student took it, California’s scores would drop about 50 or 60 points the next year.

Also, according to College Board officials, some students now take the SAT three times. On each test, they focus intently on a single section. This is because some colleges will take the best score from each section instead of judging a student based upon a single test.

All of this means that the last thing California should worry about is its scores dropping below the national average. Although the SAT average scores have dropped, ACT scores has risen, since a smaller percentage of students take the exam.
California’s declining average scores should not be seen as a problem.

In the past these rankings gave us a false sense of brilliance, so the drop in numbers simply indicate that the test is actually starting to accurately represent our education.

Older generations may or may not have been smarter than ours, but as participation increases, comparisons with previous test takers become less and less valid.