Average SAT scores due out

The College Board releases average SAT scores from the class of 2008 on Tuesday morning, just as many members of that class head to college.

Earlier this year, the College Board, which owns the SAT and other tests, issued a report saying that the addition of the mandatory writing section in 2005 slightly improved the exam's ability to predict academic success for college freshmen.

But the board also said that the best predictor of all is a combination of all three test sections as well as high school transcripts.

As with other standardized tests, the SAT has come under criticism lately. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing says it will be on the lookout Tuesday for any changes and what the results might say about such issues as the writing test, or about the SAT in comparison with another test, the ACT.

Most universities require applicants to take the SAT or the ACT, its main competitor. Nearly 1.5 million members of the class of 2007 took the SAT, 33% more than 10 years earlier, according to the College Board.

-- Mary MacVean