“The Nation’s Report Card” shows progress in some areas, need for more progress in other areas

The nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders continue to improve steadily in mathematics, and fourth-grade reading achievement is also on the rise, according to test scores released this morning. But progress in narrowing racial and ethnic performance gaps remains slow and in some cases has stalled. This year’s scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed non-Hispanic white students well ahead of black and Hispanic students in reading and math. In addition, eighth-grade reading scores remained about the same as they were in 1998, confirming the belief of many educators that middle schools need improvement. Read more of this article from The Washington Post.