states Comparisons

A look at the achievement gap between black and white students on nationwide reading and math tests in 2007, according to a new Education Department report. Tests were graded on a 500-point scale.

In fourth-grade math:

The achievement gap was larger than the national average of 26 points in four states — Connecticut, Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin — and in Washington, D.C. Black students generally scored lower than the national average in those states; white students scored higher, except in Nebraska.

The achievement gap was smaller than the national average in nine states: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

That doesn’t mean children in those states are doing better. Scores were still worse than the national average for black and white students alike in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma and for white students in West Virginia.

In eighth-grade math:

The achievement gap was larger than the national average of 31 points in seven states: Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin. Overall, however, black and white kids both out-scored the national average in Maryland and Massachusetts.

The achievement gap was smaller than the national average in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Carolina.

Despite smaller gaps, black and white kids both still scored lower than the national average in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma

In fourth-grade reading:

The achievement gap was larger than the national average of 27 points in seven states — Arkansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin — and in Washington, D.C.

The achievement gap was smaller than the national average in eight states: Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Virginia and West Virginia. Still, scores were worse than the national average for black and white children in West Virginia.

In eighth-grade reading:

The achievement gap was larger than the national average of 26 points in only one state, Wisconsin, where scores were worse than the national average for black students.

The achievement gap was smaller than the national average in eight states: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia and West Virginia. Black and white students in West Virginia scored below the national average, and white students in Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada and New Mexico scored below the national average.