See each local county's SAT averages and how much they changed from 1995.

Fairfax County provides more detailed statistical breakdowns of its SAT results.

Montgomery County allows you to compare SAT scores all the way back to 1973.

A national summary of SAT scores with graphs showing mean scores back to 1972 is available from the College Board.

SAT Scores Rise in Much of Area

The average math score on the Scholastic Assessment Test went up in most Washington area school districts last year, and several districts also improved their average verbal SAT score, according to figures released yesterday.

Nationally, the average math SAT score rose two points to 508, its highest level in 24 years, which educators attributed to the growing emphasis many schools are placing on the subject. The verbal SAT score, while rising one point to 505, was 25 points lower than the level college-bound seniors achieved in 1972.

But the one-year gains made by several Washington area districts were much more dramatic.

In Arlington County, the average verbal score among last year's public high school seniors jumped 14 points to 529, and the average math score rose 10 points to 527. Alexandria's average verbal score increased five points to 501, and its math average jumped 11 points to 505.

In Fairfax County, the area's largest school system, the math score went up seven points to 553, and the verbal score rose five points to 543.

School officials attributed the gains to new summer SAT study courses, tougher academic standards and the fact that more seniors took a practice version of the SAT as sophomores. Fairfax School Superintendent Robert R. Spillane credited his system's decision to eliminate "watered-down" courses such as consumer math and to require all students to take algebra.

"There's a lot to be proud of, but I don't think we've reached nirvana by any stretch of the imagination," Spillane said. "We're going to keep trying to do better."

Public schools in Loudoun, Howard, Calvert and St. Mary's counties also showed increases in scores on both parts of the college entrance exam, widely considered to be an important barometer of how schools are performing. Of the area school systems that had data available yesterday, only Prince George's County did not post a gain in its average math score.

In Prince George's, the average SAT score declined by one point on the verbal test and by two points in math. School spokesman Christopher Cason said administrators are evaluating SAT preparation courses offered by the county to determine their effectiveness.

D.C. public schools had an average verbal score of 417 and an average math score of 404, according to the College Board, which administers the SAT. But the board did not have comparable numbers from the previous year, and D.C. school officials did not return a reporter's phone calls.

The SAT scores released yesterday were based on a new scale that the board contends better represents the diversity of students who take the test. The districts reporting gains or losses from the previous year converted their old scores to the new scale to get a meaningful comparison, as did the College Board in looking at previous national averages.

Nationally, scores increased slightly for all groups that College Board officials track -- males, females and every ethnic and racial minority.

"This year's class of students has improved in many respects," board President Donald M. Stewart said. "The class is better prepared for college than a decade ago."

But board officials expressed concern that students are not showing more progress on language skills. Part of the problem, they said, may be that although students are taking more math and science courses in high school than they were a decade ago, fewer are taking four years of English.

"Student participation in virtually every course is up, except English," Stewart said. "We think we have a national problem."

Leslie Walker-Bartnick, supervisor of testing in Howard County, said students are being hurt by dependence on television, radio and the Internet as their primary sources of information.

"The new SAT is dependent on kids reading a lot, and kids aren't reading a lot," she said. "The dependence on getting information from methods other than reading is getting in the way of that."

Montgomery County schools showed a decline of four points in the average verbal score, but a gain of three points in math.

School Superintendent Paul L. Vance credited the improvement in math to the county's decision two years ago to raise the number of math courses required for graduation from three to four, and to a more recent campaign to get students to take algebra no later than ninth grade.

He said the school system needs to consider similar steps to improve verbal scores.

Vance expressed grudging admiration for the performance of Fairfax students, whose average scores were lower than Montgomery's last year but surged ahead this year.

"That gives my good friend Bud Spillane bragging rights this year," Vance said. "We compete against each other. I know he's going to wear me out this year."

Nationally, about one-third of students taking the SAT are minority group members. They continue to perform better than before on the math and verbal sections of the test, but their scores still lag well behind those of white students.

One exception this year was the average score nationally among Asian American students on the math part of the SAT, which was 35 points higher than the math score of white students.

Writers Dan Beyers, Pamela Constable, Lisa Frazier, Peter Maass, Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Jackie Spinner contributed to this report.