By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – New York has more students taking the SATs than any other state in the nation.
Ninety-two percent of high school seniors in New York took the SATs during the past school year. The test is administered nationwide and is one of the criteria colleges use in the evaluation of students for admission.
New York has the highest participation rate in the nation, up from 87 percent the previous year. The national participation rate for the SATs is 49 percent.
According to the College Board, which administers the SATs, New York's math scores have increased by 13 percent over the past ten years. But verbal scores are up by two percent.
Still, State Education Commissioner Richard Mills says the figures provide further evidence that the state's tougher academic standards are starting to take hold.