Blacks, Hispanics closing gap in 8th grade reading

ATLANTA - A new national report shows black and Hispanic eighth-graders in Georgia are gaining on their white counterparts in reading.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress commonly called ``The Nation's Report Card'' released data Wednesday for fourth- and eighth-grade reading tests given to students in every state last year.

Last year, 75 percent of black eighth-graders in Georgia passed the test, compared to 69 percent in 2007. For Hispanic eighth-graders in Georgia, 88 percent passed the reading test in 2009, up from 80 percent in 2007.

In both groups, the white students' scores stayed basically the same.

Overall, Georgia's eighth-grade scores did not change significantly from 2007, with 72 percent of students passing. In fourth-grade, scores declined slightly, from 66 percent passing in 2007 to 63 percent last year.