OLYMPIA — Fourth- and eighth-graders in Washington public schools scored better than the national average this year in math and reading assessments released Thursday, but showed little improvement in reading compared with last year.
The National Assessment of Education Progress — known as the nation’s report card — is given periodically to selected students around the country.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson said she is concerned about reading scores, which ticked downward for eighth-graders compared with last year and stayed steady for fourth-graders.
"We’re still above the national average, but we’re stuck," said Bergeson, who plans to advocate a statewide reading initiative next year. "Where are kids stuck, and what do we need to do? We’ve got to figure out what’s happening in our system."
The average reading score for eighth-graders was 264 out of a possible 500, compared with 261 nationally. However, it was lower than the 268 average achieved by Washington eighth-graders last year.
Fourth-graders’ average score was 238, compared with 234 nationally. That’s not significantly different from last year.
In math, the state’s eighth-graders had an average score of 281, compared with 276 for students nationally. Fourth-graders’ average score was 238, compared with 234 nationally. Both grades were up substantially from 1996, the last time Washington students took the test.
"It’s a very strong gain," said Bergeson, adding that the results of the national test track with the state’s own Washington Assessment of Student Learning. "We’re not in the top tier of states, but we’re moving ahead faster."
About 3,600 fourth-graders and 2,600 eighth-graders took the test in Washington this year. The students are selected to provide a representative sample of the state’s children, said Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for Bergeson.
On average, white students did better than their black or Hispanic counterparts in reading and math at both grade levels, although the gap in eighth-grade math has narrowed substantially since 1996.
Asian students on average scored higher than the statewide average in every category.
Low-income students scored at least 20 points lower than more affluent students in every category, a gap that hasn’t changed significantly in recent years.
"Poverty is still probably the strongest correlation to struggling in school," Bergeson said. "But race is also a big factor. We’re making gains, but the gap isn’t closing fast enough."
Girls outscored boys in reading by 10 points among fourth-graders and 13 points among eighth-graders. In math, fourth-grade boys scored 3 points higher, but the genders were roughly equivalent among eighth-graders.
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