ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - While Maryland's school system has had the top spot in a publication's annual ranking of the nation's schools for five years in a row, the state is far from the top of a new report comparing eighth-graders in the United States with other states and 38 other countries.
Massachusetts was the only state to reach the highest score in math in the study being released Thursday by the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics. Only eight states - Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin - reached the highest scores in science.
Researchers took eighth-grade test results in math and science from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to predict performance on the international comparative study test known as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Nine states participated directly in TIMSS. NAEP includes scores of students tested with accommodations, while TIMSS does not. Statistical modeling was used to make up for the difference.
The National Center for Education Statistics says this is the first report that compares every state, the District of Columbia and Defense Department schools against 38 countries. China, India, France and Germany did not participate.
