'Dramatic' Rise in Ky. Test Scores Linked to Reforms

By Lynn Olson

One of the most closely watched experiments in school reform is beginning to bear fruit, Kentucky officials said last week.

Kentucky's 4th, 8th, and 12th graders demonstrated "dramatic improvement" on the 1993-94 version of the state's annual assessments, state officials said. In all grades, the percentage of students performing at or above the proficient level in mathematics, reading, science, and social studies increased from the previous year.

In reading, for instance, the percentage of 4th graders scoring at the proficient level shot up from 7 percent to 12 percent. At grade 12, the figure rose from 5...