Iowa's top education official says students are doing better on math and reading tests, but gaps remains between white students and minorities.
Judy Jeffrey of the Iowa Department of Education says a report shows the share of Iowa fourth-, eighth- and 11th graders who scored "proficient" on 2008-09 state tests jumped from the year before in every overall category except 11th-grade reading.
When broken down by race and ethnicity, Hispanics and African-Americans eighth-graders improved in reading but still lagged behind whites.
In the 11th grade, reading results slipped in every racial group except Hispanics, who saw an increase.
Jeffrey released the report on Wednesday at a meeting of school administrators. A full report will be out this fall.
