Friday, October 29, 2004
HARRISBURG (AP) -- Although math and reading test scores are improving, the performance of black and Hispanic pupils still lags behind that of white and Asian pupils, education officials said Thursday.
Statewide, 64 percent of all public school pupils performed at grade level or better in reading and 55 percent performed likewise in math during the 2003-2004 school year, according to the state's annual academic achievement report card.
The 2003 report card showed that 60 percent were proficient or better in reading and 52 percent were proficient or better in math.
But the 2004 results also show that Pennsylvania still needs to improve the so-called "achievement gap" among different racial, ethnic and economic groups, Education Department spokesman Brian Christopher said.
On the state math test, for example, 75 percent of Asians, 63 percent of whites, 32 percent of Hispanics and 26 percent of blacks were considered proficient or better.
In reading, 71 percent of whites, 70 percent of Asians, 36 percent of blacks, and 35 percent of Hispanics were considered proficient or better.
"We really need to get some of the needier students the resources they can use to catch up with the other students," Christopher said.
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