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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