JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri elementary and junior high students are ranked near the national norm in terms of their vocabulary.
A report by the National Assessment of Education Progress looked at scores on a standardized test designed to measure vocabulary skills on reading comprehension. Missouri ranked 24th on the fourth-grade vocabulary test and 27th on the eighth-grade test.
State education officials say Missouri's scores dropped slightly from the previous vocabulary assessment in 2009, but the difference was not considered statistically significant.
Students in Massachusetts ranked first nationally on both the fourth- and eighth-grade vocabulary tests.