Montana Students Continue to Outpace Nation in Reading and Math – 8th Grade Students Earn Top Score in Reading

New findings show the reading and math skills of Montana students continue to exceed the national average. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also called "The Nation’s Report Card," out today, details the continued achievement of Montana fourth- and eighth-graders on the tests, administered by the U.S. Department of Education earlier this year.

"These national scores shine a light on the high quality of teaching provided by Montana schools," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau. "The hard work and innovation happening in Montana’s classrooms is paying off as we can see with these top-notch results. I am proud of all of our students and teachers."

Montana students continue to rank in the top ten states in the country in reading and math. In eighth grade reading, we share the highest score in the nation with eight other states. Only five states scored higher than Montana in grade four.

In eighth grade math, only one state scored higher than Montana. In fourth grade math, seven states scored higher than Montana students.

4th Grade Reading: The report shows that fourth-graders in Montana scored 225 on average, compared to the national average score of 220.

8th Grade Reading: The report shows that eighth-graders in Montana scored 273 on average, compared to the national average score of 264.

4th Grade Math: The report shows that eighth-graders in Montana scored 244 on average, compared to the national average score of 240.

8th Grade Math: The report shows that eighth-graders in Montana scored 293 on average, compared to the national average score of 283.

This is currently the only assessment that allows us to compare results between states and measure educational progress for the nation as a whole.

The Nation’s Report Card: Math and Reading 2011 and additional data collected from the 2011 Math and Reading assessment are available online at http://nationsreportcard.gov.