NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A national education assessment released Wednesday shows math scores for Louisiana's eighth graders went up five points over the past two years - the best rate of improvement in the nation.
The Nation's Report Card shows Louisiana still near the bottom in math and reading scores for fourth and eighth graders. And the percentage of students judged at least proficient was below 30% at each level: 29% for fourth grade math, 26% for fourth grade reading, 23% for eighth grade math and 27% for eighth grade reading.
Still, the state's education superintendent, John White, pointed to the nation-leading improvement rate for eighth-grade math as a sign of progress. The state education department also released figures showing Louisiana ranking high among states in improving proficiency for math and reading in grades four and eight.
"Over the last decade, Louisiana ranks in the top 10 among all states for improvement on each of the four NAEP tests," White said in a Wednesday news release. "This is further evidence that Louisiana's children are as smart and capable as any in America. When we raise expectations for students and support our teachers, we will see progress. It is critical that we keep the progress going."
NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education.
