Mississippi students fared better on state tests last year

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi students fared better on the state's standardized tests last year, although gains in math again outstripped gains in English and language arts.

The results, released Thursday by the Mississippi Department of Education, are from last spring's Mississippi Academic Assessment Program. It's the third time the state has given those tests to students in grades 3-8 and high school.

State Superintendent Carey Wright says trends "are exactly what you want to see."

In English/language arts, testing reading and writing, 40 percent of students scored at proficient or advanced levels. That's up from 37 percent last year.