(AP & WXXI News) New York education officials say the state's third- through eighth-grade students did slightly better on Common Core-aligned math and English assessments than last year, but the majority of students still aren't considered proficient in the subjects.
Results released Wednesday show that 31.3 percent of students scored at the proficient level on the April English tests, compared to 30.6 percent last year and 31.1 percent in 2013.
Math scores were better, with 38.1 percent of students reaching proficiency, up from 36.2 percent in 2014 and 31.1 percent in 2013.
In the Rochester City School District, 4.7 percent of students were rated proficient in English assessments compared to 5.5 percent last year.
For the math tests, in the RCSD, 7.4 percent of students reached proficiency, compared to 7.2 percent last year.
The tests given across the state's 700 districts have become controversial in recent years after being tied to teacher evaluations and the new learning standards, prompting many parents to skip them in protest.
The Education Department says 20 percent of students sat out this year.
