Test results a mixed bag again in 2008

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois grade school students generally performed better on statewide achievement tests this spring than they did last year, but their high school counterparts are struggling.

The Illinois State Board of Education released the results Wednesday.

Students in grades 3 through 8 took the Illinois Standards Achievement Test in reading and math, while grades 4 and 7 were tested in science.

Overall, 79.1 percent of students met or exceeded standards on the ISAT, up from 78.7 percent in 2007.

Students in grade 11 took the Prairie State Achievement Exam, which tests math, reading and science. The percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards stayed flat, from 52.6 percent in 2007 to 52.5 percent this year.