While Georgia

has taken a beating this week for its statewide performance on the Scholastic

Aptitude Test, Fayette County students are scoring well above the state

and national averages.

Fayette's senior

class of 2002 scored 12 points higher on the verbal and 16 points higher

on the math sections of the test than the national average, according

to a report released by the Fayette County School System.

Among Georgia

students, Fayette scores were 68 points above average 27 points on verbal

and 41 points on math.

The average

verbal score in Fayette was 516, a three-point drop from last year, as

was the overall average score of 1048. The math average was unchanged

at 532.

Average SAT

scores in the county have remained well above state and national averages

for the past 10 years, according to the school system.

McIntosh High

saw its scores rise 21 points this year, and Starr's Mill saw a 17-point

hike. Fayette County High scores fell 17 points, while Sandy Creek recorded

a 22-point drop.

"We are

pleased with the two schools that increased their scores and will be working

closely with the other two to help them boost their future totals,"

said Stuart Bennett, Fayette's assistant superintendent of education.

Georgia fell

to 50th in the nation in SAT performance this year, the lowest performing

state in the country. Only the District of Columbia saw lower scores.

Georgia students

earned a two-point gain on the math portion of the 2002 test but lost

two points on the verbal portion, state school superintendent Linda Schrenko

said this week. The increase and decrease were consistent with the national

averages.

The national

average math score is 516, up two points from 2001. The national average

verbal score is 504, down two points from last year. On average, 46 percent

of high school students across the nation took the SAT in 2002, but in

Georgia that number was more than 60 percent.

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