SAT results for area schools mixed

Schools in Jackson County saw mixed results for students taking the SAT in 2010, compared to those taking the college entrance exam in 2009.

The average SAT score dropped at East Jackson Comprehensive High School and Commerce High School from 2009 to 2010, according to data from the state department of education.

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

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 of 1,442, while the national average was 1,497.

At EJCHS, the SAT average score dropped from 1,451 in 2009 to 1402, according to data posted by the Georgia Department of Education last week. The average at CHS fell from 1,478 last year to 1,396 this year.

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 courses also tend to have higher SAT scores.