<p>"The College Board also released preliminary results from the first three sittings of the new SAT, which features for the first time a writing section. Members of the class of 2006 began taking the new SAT last spring. They scored an average 516 on the writing section, which includes an essaycompared to 519 on critical reading (the new name for the verbal section) and 537 in math."</p>
<p>Also:
""The high school class of 2005 recorded what officials say are the highest-ever average scores on the math portion of the SAT college entrance exam, a modest jump from last year that comes amid conflicting data on the math skills of American students.</p>
<p>Seniors who finished high school last spring scored 520 out of a possible 800 on the math section, 2 points higher than the class of 2004. Average scores on the verbal section were unchanged at 508, according to results released Tuesday by the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the SAT."</p>