JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri's fourth- and eighth-graders are doing about the same on math and reading tests as they were two years ago and about average when compared with the rest of the country.
That's according to the 2013 Nation's Report Card, which was released Thursday. The results come from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, which is given to a sample of students.
Among fourth-graders, 39 percent scored at or above the NAEP proficient level in reading and 35 percent in math. The percentages were similar among eighth-graders, with 36 percent scoring at or above proficient in reading and 35 percent scoring at or above the proficient level in reading.
Missouri education commissioner Chris Nicastro says the state still has "work to do."