PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s high school students are mirroring a national trend when it comes to standardized testing, increasing their participation in the College Board SAT and Advanced Placement exams but exhibiting declining SAT scores, the R.I. Department of Education reports.

SAT participation rates increased by 1 percent, to 65 percent, among the class of 2011, marking 10 years of rising participation by public-school students. The state’s participation rate was tied with North Carolina for 14th in the country and fifth within the New England region, ahead only of Vermont.

On the SAT scale of 200-800, students dropped five points in critical reading scores, two points in math scores and four points in writing scores. Nationwide, scores were down two points in reading, one point in math and one point in writing.

Rhode Island ranked fifth in New England for scores, ahead only of Maine. •