State News Roundup

Public school students in New Jersey improved their rankings to third in the nation in reading and fourth in mathematics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress when such factors as race and the number of limited-English-proficient students were factored in, a new study shows.

In the national test in math, for example, New Jersey 8th graders came in 14th among states in 1992 before the other factors were incorporated, the study conducted by the Educational Testing Service notes.

The study comes as officials of the National Center for Education Statistics--in conjunction with the E.T.S., which administers the national assessment--are exploring ways to adjust NAEP scores to take into account demographic and socioeconomic factors. (See Education...