Math scores on the SAT for the 2010 graduating class improved over the past year though reading and writing scores continue to decline, according to the College Board, the testing sponsor for the SAT.
Students who took the college entrance exam in 2010 averaged a 516 score in math, one point higher than the previous three graduating classes. But the average score for reading and writing was 492, continuing a 5-year trend of declining scores on this portion of the test. Each section of the standardized test is scored from 200 to 800. 
Both math and reading scores for the SAT have fallen behind students taking the exam just five years ago.
"The downward trend must be reversed," said Laurence Bunin, Senior VP, College Board. "Writing must be made a higher priority in secondary and K-12 education."
Though testing scores are down slightly on average over the past few years, more students than ever before took the SAT -- 1,547,990 students sat for the exam in 2010.
Adapted from Education Week - September 20, 2010
