Comparing State SAT Scores Using a Mixture Modeling Approach

Presented at the national conference for AERA (American Educational Research Association) in April 2009. The large variability of SAT taker population across states makes state-by-state comparisons of the SAT scores challenging. Using a mixture modeling approach, therefore, the current study presents a method of identifying subpopulations in terms of SAT scores while taking into account the percentage of SAT takers so that state SAT scores within a subpopulation can be properly compared.