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The article reports on the results of a study on the grading of the essay component of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) showing the grading is not as unfair as some have claimed. Essay length was only mildly positively correlated with higher scores, and neatness of handwriting was not found to be a significant factor. The nonprofit College Board, which oversees the SAT, presented the study results to the American Educational Research Association in defense of the test. Slightly higher essay scores were found among students citing both personal and academic evidence, as well as evidence from popular culture.

The article focuses on the fluctuations in the scores of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The College Board has alerted colleges that it expected the national combined average score on the critical reading and math sections for the year 2006 to decline by 4 to 5 points as compared with the combined average score for the entire 2005 cohort. The average SAT scores have jumped or dipped inexplicably from one year to the next by similar margins. James M. Montoya, the College Board's vice president for higher education, describes the national decline of about five points as relatively small numbers that affirm the validity of the new test. According to Montoya, a student who retakes the test increases his combined score on the critical reading and math sections by 30 points. This year the College Board has found that fewer students are taking the test more than once. Brad MacGowan, a college counselor at Newton North High School, said that the increased cost of the SAT may have kept more students from retaking it.