| SAT's ups and downs It's always useful in comparing SAT scores to remember that the more kids who take the test the lower the scores will be - and in Georgia and South Carolina a lot more kids take the tests than in most other states. Indeed, the states with the highest SAT scores cherry-pick the students who'll take the college entrance test to ensure the averages will stay up. It looks good on recruiting posters when you can boast how high your state's SAT scores are. But it's not necessarily an accurate assessment of how good the schools in that state are. With that said, the Palmetto State and Peach State still have nothing to be proud of in finishing last and second to last, respectively, in SAT scores nationwide. Obviously, there's much work to be done in both states. As South Carolina admits in a court case challenging the legislature's school funding formula, it is only seeking to provide "a minimally acceptable education" to its students. That's not a slogan for a recruiting poster either. To find the good news in the just-released SAT scores, look to the local schools. The results are not spectacular, but they're encouraging. Aiken County schools' average is an impressive 1,017, up nine points from last year. Richmond County improved its scores for the 10th straight year; its 10 high schools averaging 1,000 for the first time, nine points more than last year. Davidson Fine Arts had the state's highest average score, 1,178, and Hephzibah High one of the most improved scores to 1,035, up 113 points over last year. The news wasn't as good in Columbia County, where the score of 1,025 was down 12 points from last year - but is still well above Georgia's average of 987, and only one point below the national average of 1.026. The school system's explanation for the decline in scores is credible - Columbia County is growing fast and more students than ever before are taking the test. There's no reason to believe the quality of teaching there is suffering. The truth is, though, that SAT and other college entry scores go up and down around the nation, but basically they don't really change that much. The nation's public school systems are still running well behind most private-sector school systems, not to mention foreign schools. Improving teaching and grade standards is one way to make public schools more competitive - and in some cases putting more money into the system can also help. But for the most part our public schools need to be challenged to do better. This calls for experimentation and innovation such as allowing vouchers, creating more charter schools and, when it will help raise grades, letting the sexes be taught in separate classes. All of these innovations, however, are opposed by the powerful education establishment and teachers' unions. Until they change their ways, we don't expect to see any significant improvement in test scores unless it's by manipulating the number of students who take it.
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