Hawai'i's elementary and middle public school students rank among the worst in the nation in math and reading, showing virtually no improvement from 2003, according to national test results released today.

Hawai'i ranked among the bottom eight states in all test results and the state's eighth-grade reading scores were the lowest in the nation, according to the 2005 scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal test considered the best measure of how students in every state perform on core subjects.

The results are significant because the national test is being used, more than ever, to check whether states are challenging their students.

The average reading score for fourth-graders rose 2 points from 2003 scores to 210 on a scale of 500, but was still 7 points below the national average.

Eighth-graders' reading scores were off slightly from 251 in 2003 to 249, which was the nation's worst.

National averages in reading were 217 for fourth-graders and 260 for the older students.

In math, scores for Hawai'i eighth-graders remained unchanged at 266, which was fourth lowest in the nation and well below the national average of 278.

The fourth-graders' math score was 230, tied for the second lowest in the nation with Arizona, Louisiana and Nevada. New Mexico was the lowest at 224.

The national average for this year's testing was 237 for the younger students and 278 for eighth-graders.

PROFICIENCY STANDARDS

Overall, only 18 percent of Hawai'i eighth-graders performed at or above proficiency in the math and reading tests, which were the lowest in the nation. Proficiency, the goal of the test, means students have shown competency over challenging subject matter.

Fourth-graders fared a little better, with 23 percent meeting proficiency standards in reading and 27 percent in math.

The tests are another mark against Hawai'i's embattled public education system and the state Department of Education, which has 181,355 students.

Department officials declined to immediately comment on the report and said they would be prepared to make a statement today.

Hawai'i is the only state in the nation that operates under a statewide Board of Education. Gov. Linda Lingle has pushed for decentralizing the body into local school boards.

"All of other 49 states have local school boards and the reason nobody has (a statewide board) is because it doesn't work," she said earlier this week at a conference. "The proof that it doesn't work: We rank at the bottom of the nation. If we ranked at the top, we could make a case why a central board works better."

Lingle also noted that funding for education has risen every year while enrollment has dropped. The state spends about half of its $4 billion annual budget on education, she said.

TESTED EVERY 2 YEARS

Under federal law, all states must take part in the test every two years. About 660,000 children were tested this year, with each taking only a portion of an entire test. No student or school scores are reported, and there are no penalties tied to performance.

In math, students tackled measurement, geometry, data analysis and probability and algebra. The reading test measured whether students could form a general understanding, develop an interpretation, make connections to the text and examine content and structure.