The Tustin Unified School District has announced that its 2011 Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores continue to be higher than California and national scores.

High school students throughout the nation take the SAT each year. The test consists of math, critical reading and writing sections. The results are published by the College Board as part of the criteria used for admission to colleges and universities.

The Tustin school district’s average math score of 561 continues to be well above the state average of 515 and national average of 514. The District’s average critical reading score of 534 is also above the state average of 499 and national average of 497. The District’s writing score of 548 is much higher than California’s score of 499 and the national average of 489.

Tustin Unified’s total mean score of 1643 significantly exceeded the state mean score of 1513 and the national mean score of 1500, according to Chief Academic Officer Kathie Nielsen. In addition, Tustin Unified had more students taking the exam this year.

For 2011, Tustin Unified students outperformed students in California and the nation by 46 points in math and 37 points in reading. District students averaged 49 points over the state average and 59 points over the national average in writing.

During the 2011-12 school year, Tustin Unified will continue to target instruction to the District and state standards; promote student participation in District-sponsored SAT workshops; focus on reading, writing and math skills; and encourage more student participation in higher level courses, Nielsen added.