MCAS Scores Up, But Yearly Progress Lags In Mass.

State education officials say about two-thirds of schools designated as chronically underperforming a year ago showed significant improvement in the MCAS English and math exams taken this past spring.

Overall, school and district MCAS results released on Tuesday showed that most schools in Massachusetts improved on or at least matched their 2010 performance on the standardized tests.

But the news was not nearly as upbeat on Adequate Yearly Progress goals required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester says 82 percent of schools and 91 percent of districts failed to meet progress targets. That was up from the 67 percent of schools and 79 percent of districts that did not make adequate progress in 2010.

The Obama administration has called for an overhaul of the federal law.

Statewide results released earlier this month showed black and Latino students closed the achievement gap with white peers in most grade levels.