Showing posts with label SATs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SATs. Show all posts

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Achievement is to Blank as Liberal is to Blank

I woke up this morning, and I was curious to see if I could put together a map of how states performed on the SATs and the ACTs.  It is fairly complicated, because some universities use the SATs, while others use the ACTs, and it depends on which state they are locate. A large number of students leave their home-states further complicating the system. The way I came up with to solve the problem was to take the SAT average and convert it into an ACT equivalent system and then weighted the average by the percent of students to take each test.

Top Percentile for 2013: 

State
Percent of Graduates Tested
Average Composite Score
SAT
Participation Rate
ACT Equivalent
Weighted Average
New Hampshire
19
23.8
70
23.67
23.69775
Massachusetts
22
24.1
83
23.49
23.61781
Minnesota
74
23
6
27.0675
23.30506
Washington
21
22.8
60
23.355
23.21111
Connecticut
27
24
85
22.95
23.20313
Vermont
26
23
61
23.2875
23.20158


Followed by:

State
Percent of Graduates Tested
Average Composite Score
SAT
Participation Rate
ACT Equivalent
Weighted Average
Virginia
26
22.6
71
23.175
23.02088
New Jersey
23
23
78
22.9725
22.97876
Oregon
34
21.5
49
23.4
22.62169
California
26
22.2
57
22.725
22.56054
Pennsylvania
18
22.7
71
22.455
22.50455
New York
26
23.4
76
22.185
22.49471
Maryland
21
22.3
73
22.4325
22.4029
Ohio
72
21.8
17
24.84
22.38067
Wisconsin
71
22.1
4
26.8875
22.35533
Iowa
66
22.1
3
26.8425
22.3062
Rhode Island
14
22.7
72
22.0725
22.17465
Kansas
75
21.8
6
26.64
22.15852
Indiana
38
21.7
70
22.3425
22.11644
Alaska
37
21.1
52
22.7925
22.08888
South Dakota
78
21.9
3
26.8425
22.08306
Montana
72
21.3
25
24.2775
22.0674
Missouri
74
21.6
4
26.7975
21.86654
Nevada
32
21.3
48
22.185
21.831
Nebraska
84
21.5
4
26.2575
21.71625


The Lowest Half:

State
Percent of Graduates Tested
Average Composite Score
SAT Participation Rate
ACT Equivalent
Weighted Average
Texas
37
20.9
59
21.96
21.55146
Georgia
51
20.7
75
21.9825
21.46339
Hawaii
40
20.1
64
22.1625
21.36923
Arizona
50
19.6
35
23.6025
21.24809
South Carolina
51
20.4
64
21.8475
21.20557
Maine
8
23.5
95
20.9025
21.10425
Oklahoma
75
20.8
5
25.65
21.10313
Colorado
100
20.4
14
26.0775
21.09724
Idaho
49
22.1
99
20.5425
21.05816
West Virginia
63
20.6
15
22.8375
21.03029
Utah
100
20.7
6
25.5375
20.97382
Illinois
100
20.6
5
27.3825
20.92298
District of Columbia
38
20.4
91
21.1275
20.9132
Florida
74
19.6
67
22.095
20.78557
Delaware
15
22.9
100
20.43
20.75217
Alabama
78
20.4
7
24.255
20.71747
North Dakota
98
20.5
2
27.405
20.6381
New Mexico
70
19.9
12
24.6375
20.59329
Arkansas
90
20.2
4
25.695
20.43383
Michigan
100
19.9
4
27
20.17308
North Carolina
100
18.7
62
22.5225
20.16293
Wyoming
100
19.8
4
26.3025
20.0501
Tennessee
100
19.5
8
25.7175
19.96056
Kentucky
100
19.6
5
26.3025
19.91917
Louisiana
100
19.5
5
24.9525
19.75964
Mississippi
95
18.9
3
25.0875
19.08941

Here is how it looks when mapped out:

2013 SAT/ACT Score by State
2013 SAT/ACT Score by State


I then broke it down by Quartile: 

2013 SAT/ACT Score by State
2013 SAT/ACT Score by State

I then broke it down by Half:

2013 SAT/ACT Score by State
2013 SAT/ACT Score by State

I then pulled a map over laying the Half map and a map of state legislature by controlling party:

2013 SAT/ACT Score by State
SAT/ACT Political Overlay Map 

There are obvious flaws in my methodology. There are also larger questions of socio-economic factors playing a more responsible factor in the systematic educational success of a population, and so forth. At the same time, I do believe this simple map is at the heart of the fundamental american dynamic.


Liam '14
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