A new SAT test filled with more advanced math problems, more reading comprehension and the addition of a new writing section were blamed for the sharp decline in Massachusetts SAT scores in 2006.
The new writing section on the SAT, which closely mirrors the SAT II Writing test, is an hour long test that includes a writing sample and multiple-choice editing questions. The new writing test increased the length of the SAT to three and a half hours from three hours.
While Massachusetts students posted a higher average score on the new writing section (510) then the national average (497), the Massachusetts' average reading score fell, from 520 to 513.
Massachusetts' average math scores also fell from 527 to 524.
One of the sharpest declines came within the males math scores which plummeted from 545 to 516.
The average writing score for black students in Massachusetts was 426 - 59 points lower than the mean national average and 12 points lower than Latinos.
Massachusetts wasn't alone in their plummet: test scores fell nationwide. Average reading and math scores fell a total of 7 points, which was the the sharpest decline in 31 years.
Average reading scores fell from 508 to 503, and math scores fell from 520 to 518, with the changes hurting males more, according to an Aug. 28 press release by the College Board.
The College Board, which administers the exam, downplayed the drop in scores, saying it amounts to a fraction of one question per exam.
"When a new test is introduced, students usually vary their test-taking behavior in a variety of ways and this affects scores," said Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board.
The board's explanation: fewer students took the exam a second time, which typically raises combined math and reading scores 30 points.
Of the 1.5 million test-takers, 47 percent took the exam only once, up from 44 percent a year ago.
The College Board also insisted fatigue wasn't to blame. The new exam has been expanded from three hours to three hours, 45 minutes, and can take more than a full morning counting prep time and breaks.
Some parents and fair-testing advocates predicted the longer exam would cause scores to decline, but the College Board said its research showed no drop-off in student performance as the test goes on.
Still, the results will spark debate over whether the College Board - also facing criticism over 4,000 incorrectly scored exams last year - was able to deliver a new test that is comparable to the old one.
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