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Does Wisconsin have the second highest math proficiency rate among fourth graders in the US?

By Erin Gretzinger
YES

According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress report card, 43% of Wisconsin fourth-grade students tested proficient or higher in math — tied with Nebraska and Massachusetts for the second highest percentage across all U.S. states. For eighth graders, Wisconsin tied with New Jersey for the third highest "at or above proficient" percentage.

For reading, Wisconsin fourth and eighth graders' proficient or higher percentage is slightly better than the national public average. However, Wisconsin's average reading test scores for fourth and eighth graders do not show a statistically significant difference from the national average.

While Wisconsin saw less steep score drops than other states amid the pandemic, Wisconsin had the widest score gaps between Black and white students out of all the states that provided data. Wisconsin already had the worst racial disparities in the nation — and now, the margins have grown.

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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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