WASHINGTON, April 3 (UPI) -- Average writing test scores for eighth- and 12th-graders were higher in 2007 than in previous assessments, the U.S. Education Department said Thursday.
"Just as we have seen with the 2007 reading and math results, student achievement in writing is on the rise," Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said in a news release. "Colleges and businesses have made clear that stronger writing skills must be taught in our schools, and these scores show the accountability demanded by No Child Left Behind is producing results."
The average writing score for eighth-graders in 2007 was 6 points higher than when the first test was administered in 1998, setting the average score at 150. The average writing score for 12th-graders in 2007 was five points higher than in 2002 and 3 points higher than in 1998, when the average score was 150.
Improvements also were reported in lower- and middle-performing students and among racial, ethnic and gender gaps, Spellings said.
"We have more work to do to ensure all groups make gains," she said, "but this report assures us that the indicators are moving in the right direction."
