Florida's eighth graders were one of just four states to improve reading and math scores significantly. Fourth graders also scored higher in both reading and math, but test officials said the minor improvement was insignificant.
The test results showed minority students fare better in Florida than in other states. Florida fourth graders earned the highest reading scores for Hispanic students of any state. And the gap in test scores between white students and their black and Hispanic classmates was smaller in Florida than in other states.
Federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the test results are an improvement. But U.S. students are still behind peers in other countries.