Florida Scores Flat on National Reading and Math Test

AJC1 / Flickr

Florida scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress, also known as the nation's report card, have been flat the past six years.

Florida students have shown little progress the past six years on a national assessment test, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress scores released Tuesday.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also referred to as the nation’s report card, is considered the yardstick by which states can compare themselves and their progress over time.

First the good news: Fourth grade students continue to score above the national average on the reading test. Florida’s fourth graders scored 225 on a 500-point scale, besting the national average of 220.

Those scores were tenth-best in the country.

But 8th grade students continue to score below the national average on math. Florida students scored 278 while the national average was 283.

Those scores ranked 40th-best in the country.

Florida’s 4th graders scored at the national average of 240 on the math portion of the exam, ranking 27th nationally. That marks a small dip from the 2009 results.

Eighth graders scored 262 on the reading portion, statistically equal to the national average of 264. Florida’s reading scores ranked 34th in the nation.

The Florida Department of Education notes that the state’s long-term gains have outpaced the national average since 2003. Florida has improved its scores in relation to the national average in every category except 4th grade math scores since 2003.

Check out the state data here. Check back later for a look at how Florida’s black and Hispanic students scored compared to the nation.