Utah Schools Get Passing Grade on National Test

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Utah's public schools get an A for effort and a C for complacency, says Mark Peterson of the Utah State Office of Education.

In a national reading and math exam, Utah's fourth and eighth graders scored about the same as they did in 2005. At the same time, students in the rest of the country improved.

Utah students remain at or slightly above the national average in math and reading skills, Peterson says, but Utah's once sizable lead over the national average has narrowed.

Peterson says Utah will need to shrink class sizes and spend more money on students to keep from falling behind the rest of the country.

The National Assessment of Education Progress requires fourth and eighth graders to take a reading and math test every two years.

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