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SALT LAKE CITY — State testing is among the most widely used tools for evaluating public schools, with exams given annually to students of all grade levels. Though standardized tests have a history of mishaps — most recently in Tennessee, where officials suspended elementary and middle school testing because of a failure by vendors to deliver tests on time — they remain a valued method of assessing performance.
With this in mind, StartClass ranked the states based on their performance on assessment test scores using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the "Nation's Report Card." The NAEP is America's "largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in select subjects" and was first administered in 1969. These results are for states from the 2015 reading and math assessments for Grades 4 and 8, both deemed critical junctures in academic achievement. Results for Grade 12 from 2015 from each state have not yet been released.
States are ranked based on the average percent of students who scored proficient or above on math and reading tests for the two grades. The math assessment measures students' knowledge and skill in mathematics and their ability to apply their knowledge in problem-solving situations. The reading assessment measures students' reading comprehension by asking them to read grade-appropriate materials and answer questions based on what they have read.
Note: In the event of ties, the state with the higher Grade 8 math proficiency rate was ranked higher on the list.
#15. Colorado
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 39.3 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
10. Grade 4 Math: 43 percent 11. Grade 4 Reading: 39 percent 12. Grade 8 Math: 37 percent
13. Grade 8 Reading: 38 percent #14. Wyoming
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
19. Grade 4 Math: 48 percent 20. Grade 4 Reading: 41 percent 21. Grade 8 Math: 35 percent
22. Grade 8 Reading: 36 percent #13. Utah
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
28. Grade 4 Math: 44 percent 29. Grade 4 Reading: 40 percent 30. Grade 8 Math: 38 percent
31. Grade 8 Reading: 38 percent #12. Pennsylvania
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40.3 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
37. Grade 4 Math: 45 percent 38. Grade 4 Reading: 41 percent 39. Grade 8 Math: 36 percent
40. Grade 8 Reading: 39 percent #11. Nebraska
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40.5 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
46. Grade 4 Math: 46 percent 47. Grade 4 Reading: 40 percent 48. Grade 8 Math: 38 percent
49. Grade 8 Reading: 38 percent #10. Wisconsin
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40.5 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
55. Grade 4 Math: 45 percent 56. Grade 4 Reading: 37 percent 57. Grade 8 Math: 41 percent
58. Grade 8 Reading: 39 percent #9. Connecticut
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40.8 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
64. Grade 4 Math: 41 percent 65. Grade 4 Reading: 43 percent 66. Grade 8 Math: 36 percent
67. Grade 8 Reading: 43 percent #8. Washington
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 40.8 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
73. Grade 4 Math: 47 percent 74. Grade 4 Reading: 40 percent 75. Grade 8 Math: 39 percent
76. Grade 8 Reading: 37 percent #7. Virginia
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 41 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
82. Grade 4 Math: 47 percent 83. Grade 4 Reading: 43 percent 84. Grade 8 Math: 38 percent
85. Grade 8 Reading: 36 percent #6. Indiana
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 41.5 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
91. Grade 4 Math: 50 percent 92. Grade 4 Reading: 40 percent 93. Grade 8 Math: 39 percent
94. Grade 8 Reading: 37 percent #5. Vermont
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 43.5 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
100. Grade 4 Math: 43 percent 101. Grade 4 Reading: 45 percent 102. Grade 8 Math: 42 percent
103. Grade 8 Reading: 44 percent #4. New Jersey
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 44.3 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
109. Grade 4 Math: 47 percent 110. Grade 4 Reading: 43 percent 111. Grade 8 Math: 46 percent
112. Grade 8 Reading: 41 percent #3. Minnesota
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 45 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
118. Grade 4 Math: 53 percent 119. Grade 4 Reading: 39 percent 120. Grade 8 Math: 48 percent
121. Grade 8 Reading: 40 percent #2. New Hampshire
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 47 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
127. Grade 4 Math: 51 percent 128. Grade 4 Reading: 46 percent 129. Grade 8 Math: 46 percent
130. Grade 8 Reading: 45 percent #1. Massachusetts
**Average percent of students at or above proficient:** 50.3 percentPercent of students at or above proficient in:
- Grade 4 Math: 54 percent
- Grade 4 Reading: 50 percent
- Grade 8 Math: 51 percent
- Grade 8 Reading: 46 percent