HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The percentage of Pennsylvania students at grade level in math and reading is higher than it was last year in every grade tested, the first time that’s happened.
State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak announced the across-the-board gains Monday and said he hoped it would bolster the case for a boost in state education funding proposed by Gov. Ed Rendell.
The administration is releasing the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results early in hopes it will influence the budget debate inside the Capitol.
Fifty-six percent of 11th graders are considered proficient or advanced in math. That’s a fractional increase from last year, but more than 6 percentage points above 2002.
In reading, more than 65 percent of 11th graders are proficient or advanced. Seven years ago that figure was 59 percent.