Report: NY’s 4th-, 8th-Graders’ Scores Up Slightly

A national report card shows New York students are doing slightly better on math and reading tests than they were two years ago and about average when compared with the rest of the country.

Even with the gains, well under half of the state’s fourth- and eighth-graders are considered proficient in the subjects, and achievement gaps remain between white students and minority students, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Forty percent of fourth-grade students and 32 percent of eighth-grade students scored high enough to be considered proficient in math. In reading, 37 percent of fourth-grade students and 35 percent of eighth-grade students met that benchmark.

The percentage of white students who demonstrated solid academic performance was more than double that of black and Hispanic students across the board. Girls had better results than boys in reading, while boys did better than girls in math.

The last report card, in 2011, had 36 percent of fourth-graders and 30 percent of eighth-graders proficient in math, and 35 percent of both fourth- and eighth-graders proficient in reading.

New York’s performance generally mirrors the national trend. The NAEP said overall scores showed some improvement among fourth- and eighth-grade students in math and among eighth-grade students in reading.

This article appeared in print on page 16 of the November 13th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.