The Massachusetts State standardized test results are out and the news is mostly positive. There was significant improvement year over year for middle school students while the high school scores have not shown any improvement.

For the first time ever more than 50% of 7th and 8th graders tested more proficient or better in Math. The state categorizes students into the following buckets based on their scores: Failing/Warning, Needs Improvement, Passing, Proficient and Advanced.

High School students showed no improvement in English or Math and 35% scored below proficient in Science which is worrisome. Tenth-graders had a better passing grade, with 86% passing all three tests required for graduation on their first attempt. This was up year over year from 83% in 2009 and 80% in 2008.

Despite positive results on the whole, many students are still struggling to meet state standards:

25% of 11th graders failed to gain proficiency in math, and 22% did not reach the mark in English. Also, Only 54% of 4th grade students are proficient in English while only 48% are proficient in math. Proficiency is defined as “a solid understanding of challenging subject matter.’’ You can check out all the aggregated results below and school system and individual school results will be released next week.

[via the Globe]

Photo credit: Aaron Atencio Boston Globe Staff
Source: Mass Department of Education