SAT Scores Drop Nationwide

WASHINGTON--The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of America's high school seniors dropped slightly this year, continuing a downward trend that began a decade ago, the College Board reported Saturday.

The average SAT verbal score dropped two points to 427, and the math score dropped a single point to 467.

The multiple-choice test, taken each year by more than a million college-bound seniors, was originally designed with 500 as the average score.

Robert G. Cameron, a College Board spokesman, said the decline is "disappointing in light of what many schools have been doing to improve education."

Double Trouble

He added, however, that "since there are many causes for the decline, schools cannot expect to reverse the trend quickly or single-handedly."