By Naomi Nix | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — New Jersey public school students last year performed about as well as their peers did the prior year on statewide math and language arts exams.
About 66 percent of third-through eighth-graders were considered proficient or better in Language Arts during the 2013-2014 school year, while close to 67 percent of students met that standard the year prior, according to data released by the Department of Education.
The share of students who were considered proficient in mathematics last school year only dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 74.4 percent, the data shows.
State officials praised the results, saying the students performed well despite the fact the test has gotten harder in recent years.
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Meanwhile, disparities among racial minorities and lower-income youth persist.
While 77 percent of white students in grades 3rd through 8th were considered proficient in language arts, only 46 percent of black students and 49 percent of hispanic students in that age group met that benchmark, according to an analysis presented to the Board of Education today.
Similarly, only 49 percent of students who received free or reduced lunch in grades 3rd through 8th were considered proficient in language arts, while 79 percent of students who didn’t receive that assistance were considered proficient.
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