September 26, 2007
RALEIGH - House Speaker Joe Hackney praised students and educators today for their continued improvement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests. The tests are also referred to as the Nation’s Report Card.

The biannual tests of fourth- and eighth-graders showed that North Carolina students had made gains since the last time the test was administered. Both groups tested above average in math, with the fourth-graders ranking ninth in the nation. Both groups also showed improvement in reading and ranked about average nationally.

Dating to 1990, North Carolina has had the largest increase in math scores of any state in the nation, an indication of the commitment educators and others have to making the state a national leader in education.

"These most recent test results show that our teachers and state officials are doing the right things to make education in North Carolina even better. We still have room for improvement and I believe the General Assembly took some important steps this past session to help more children reach their full potential and to give teachers more of the tools they need. Health care, family wealth, teacher pay -- all of that influences what happens in the classroom and we made important advances in all of those areas this year. With that kind of foundation and our high caliber of teachers, our education system in this state will continue to improve."

Some of the major investments the state made in K-12 education this past session include:

_ A new law that provides for additional support to high-need schools. Schools classified as high-need schools will receive more National Board Certified Teachers to help lower the student-teacher ratio and to give children more individualized attention. The bill also allows these teachers to use research-based teaching techniques that go beyond the standard course of study.

_ An average pay raise for teachers of 5 percent, along with a $250 bonus for first-year teachers that will push their starting salaries to $30,000. This increase will help us continue to recruit the new teachers we need in both our urban and rural communities.

_ $7 million in grants to help schools and groups working to improve the state’s graduation rate by reducing the number of high-school dropouts.

_ $5.7 million to hire 100 literacy coaches for middle schools.

_ $12 million to improve instructional technology in our schools.

_ $3 million for pilot programs at eight high schools where each student and teacher will get a computer.