Metro

60% of NY students not up to par

New York state fourth- and eighth-graders are slightly better at math and reading than two years ago and about average compared to the rest of the country, say new tests.

But at least six out of every 10 New York students in those grades are below the level called proficient, said the study known as the ­nation’s report card.

Standardized reading and math tests have been given to a sample of US fourth- and eighth-graders since the 1990s to measure basic skills.

The new results, released Thursday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, found that 32 percent of New York public-school eighth-graders were proficient in math, up 2 percent over tests given in 2011. Only 35 percent were proficient in reading in 2013, the same as two years ago.

The good news is that fourth-graders are doing a bit better. Forty percent of them were rated proficient in math, up 4 percent over 2011, and 37 percent were proficient in reading, an ­increase of 2 percent.

The national numbers:

  • Math — 35 percent for eighth-graders, 42 percent for fourth-graders.
  • Reading — 36 percent for eighth-graders, 35 percent for fourth-graders.