On nationwide math tests, fourth-grade progress stalls but eighth-graders improve

Math tests: Fourth-grade progress stalls

WASHINGTON — New test scores show fourth-graders made no gains in math since 2007, although eighth-graders’ scores improved.

Math results were released Wednesday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. They show fourth-graders stalled after two decades of slow and steady progress.

It’s too early to tell if there is a trend. Since 1990, test scores have been rising in both grades, and fourth-graders generally have made bigger gains.

Still, officials said they were troubled by the lack of progress. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the results are a call to action.

On a 500-point scale, fourth-graders on average scored 240, unchanged from two years ago. Eighth-graders on average scored 283, up from 281 two years ago.