(AP) -- South Carolina's graduating seniors posted lower scores on the SAT college entrance exam for the third consecutive year.
But the percentage of high school students earning college credit in 2010-11 by passing Advanced Placement tests increased.
The state Education Board said Wednesday that the Class of 2011's average composite score on the SAT's math, reading and writing portions was 1,436.
That's seven points below last year.
The national average dropped six points to 1,500. The test has a maximum possible score of 2,400.
In South Carolina, 85 percent of the nearly 26,500 test-takers attended public schools. The percentage of students passing exams that follow college-level AP courses increased by 10 percent this year.
That's a total increase of 33 percent over the past five years.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
