Students in California's two largest school districts showed marked improvement in math over the last two years but still trailed well behind their peers nationally in knowledge of algebra, geometry and other essential skills, according to a federal study released Thursday.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress offered a mixed report on the math and reading abilities of fourth- and eighth-graders in Los Angeles, San Diego and some of the nation's other large cities.
Although math was a bright spot among the California students, middle school reading achievement offered small cause for celebration.
Eighth-graders in San Diego, New York, Chicago, Houston and other cities showed little or no progress in reading in the two years. But L.A.'s fourth-graders countered that trend: They were among students in a handful of districts that showed significant gains in their reading comprehension skills since 2002.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials said those reading results reflected an emphasis on scripted phonics lessons, regular student assessments and teacher coaching -- all meant to support instructors of the most challenging students, including those who speak English as a second language.
The officials also chalked up their math gains partly to greater teacher training. "We need to be encouraged by the progress we are making, but we still have a lot of work to go," said Supt. Roy Romer. "We're showing growth, and it's very good news."
The evaluation, "the nation's report card," examined math and reading performance in 11 urban districts that serve higher percentages of minority and low-income students than schools nationwide. Some of the data go back to 2002, others only to 2003.
The math tests assessed algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and other skills. The English exams included reading comprehension based on short stories, magazine articles and biographies.
The study ranked student performance at four achievement levels: below basic, basic, proficient and advanced.
Among the findings:
* Several districts showed significant progress in math since 2003. Still, students in nine of the 11 fell below national levels in 2005. Only Charlotte, N.C., and Austin, Texas, outperformed schools nationally. In L.A., 62% of eighth-graders were below the basic level in math; the figure in San Diego was 39%.
* Nearly half of fourth-graders in Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland and Atlanta fell below the basic level in reading.
