The state Education Dept. today released data on student performance last year on the Scholatic Aptitude Test and Advanced Placement exams.

More students are taking the exams, according to the release, and the percentage of students achieving mastery on the AP exams is up sharply among all ethnic groups. However, SAT scores declined slightly.

From the release:

”…New York state students are the largest and most diverse state population in the country taking the SAT and Advancement Placement exams. In the 2008-09 school year, 122,790 students took AP exams and 159,886 seniors took SAT exams indicating a strong interest in preparing for and attending college,

In 2009, 122,790 students, an increase of 3.5%, took 208,385 individual AP exams.  Exam scores of 3 or higher increased by 7.4% to 134,841.  This year the percentage of Black students taking AP tests was up by more than 10% to 8909 and the percentage of Hispanic students taking the tests increased by over 7% to 8983.  The percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher on an AP exam increased for every ethnic group this year with Black student gaining 19% to 4,375 and Hispanic students gaining 11.5% to 7,230.

In New York state 85% of all seniors, 159,886, took SAT exams. The state participation rate is second only to Maine which pays for all students to take the exam. The results were lower overall from 2007-08. The mean score of 502 in math is down 2 points and the mean score of 485 in critical reading is down 3 points. Nationwide results were down 1 point in criticial reading to 501 while math was flat at 515.

In New York State the number of minority SAT takers increased in 2008-2009. Black students taking the test increased 7.3% to 21,836 while Puerto Rican students were up 5.8% to 6,299 and other Hispanic students test takers increased 7.4% to 15,002.”