Mass. Students Rank First In Math

BOSTON — Massachusetts students have outperformed their peers in math for the third time in a row, even without significant changes since the last test in 2007.

Newly released results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress mathematics exam show that Massachusetts eighth graders ranked first outright, while fourth graders tied their counterparts in New Hampshire and Minnesota for the No. 1 distinction.

Fourth graders in the state maintained an average score of 252 compared to 2007, with 57 percent scoring at or above the NAEP proficient level, higher than the average score of 239 maintained by fourth graders nationwide.

In eighth grade, the average score in Massachusetts rose t0 299 from 298 in 2007, leaving 51 percent of students at or above the proficient level. Nationwide, the average score rose from 281 t0 283.

In a statement, Gov. Deval Patrick heralded the news as an “extraordinary accomplishment.”

The test measures students’ abilities across five mathematics content areas: number properties and operations; measurement; geometry; data analysis, statistics and probability; and algebra.

The results of the 2009 NAEP reading and science exams will be released in 2010.