I think you need more data to know if there is a problem, lowered SAT score average may be that more people are attempting the SAT that previously wouldn’t, which in and of itself isn’t an issue.
If I had to hazard a guess with only the data presented, both stats are likely being influenced by increased pressure to get a high school diploma & college degree, as higher percentages of job requirements list at least the former, but a lot of times list college degree when it may not be needed. So more people try to get into college by taking the SAT.
I think you need more data to know if there is a problem, lowered SAT score average may be that more people are attempting the SAT that previously wouldn’t, which in and of itself isn’t an issue.
If I had to hazard a guess with only the data presented, both stats are likely being influenced by increased pressure to get a high school diploma & college degree, as higher percentages of job requirements list at least the former, but a lot of times list college degree when it may not be needed. So more people try to get into college by taking the SAT.
According to a few sources the number of students taking the SAT declined during and after the pandemic, with an all time peak in 2019, although numbers have been going back up in recent years
College enrollment has also dropped over the past decade
There are a lot of data points to control for, but so far it doesn’t look pretty to me