
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995                   TAG: 9508220072
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

REPORT SAYS STUDENTS BETTER IN MATH, SCIENCE

Students are taking tougher math and science courses, testing better and dropping out of school less, Education Secretary Richard Riley said Monday.

He said there has been steady progress since the landmark ``A Nation at Risk'' report was issued a dozen years ago, but that minority students must still improve their performance to attain the same academic levels as white classmates.

And all students, from kindergarten through 12th grade, need to improve their English skills, which have shown little or no improvement for two decades, he said.

``We must continue our efforts to reach children who need to learn the basics and core academics,'' he said. ``We're on the right path.''

The annual ``Condition of Education'' report pulls together statistics from the most recent available data. Some highlights:

Between 1982 and 1992, the number of high school graduates who took a package of recommended ``core courses'' - English, sciences, social studies, math and computer science - increased from 12.7 percent to 46.8 percent.

Between 1982 and 1992, math scores of 17-year-olds on the National Assessment of Educational Progress increased 9 points and on science 11 points - equivalent to a full year's education.

The high school dropout rate improved from 13.9 percent in 1982 to 11 percent in 1993.

by CNB