below the level for their respective grades, the results of a battery of tests conducted in June of this year show.

And other results from Terra Nova tests have established baselines for local students' language and mathematics understanding so their future progress in those areas can be charted as well.

The news came yesterday from Education Minister Sen. Milton Scott, who said: "We think that it is important that parents and the rest of the community should be able to see how their children are doing.

"That is why we announced the Terra Nova results in reading last year, and this year expanded the testing regime to include Language and Mathematics as well.'' Students from Primary Three to Senior One took multiple-choice tests in Reading, Language and Mathematics and system-wide grade equivalent scores were produced.

These were then compared to the Norm US Grade -- the average score expected for the system after each year of schooling.

The figure for Primary Three students is 2.9 -- as the students would have completed nine months of the second grade. For Primary Six students this would be 5.9 and for Senior One students 9.9.

Any score above these levels indicated better than average progress for students in the corresponding grade.

The Terra Nova test for reading was first done in June, 1999, and these scores established a baseline for students to be compared to this year.

School test results improve The results from June, 2000, show improvement has been made.

Primary Three and Five students improved on last year's scores with Primary Five students going ahead by 0.7 points from 3.8 to 4.5.

This means the pupils taking the test this year in Primary Five had a reading age that was seven months more advanced than pupils taking the same test last year.

Primary Three students went ahead by one month from 2.7 to 2.8, Primary Four students dropped by a month from 3.7 to 3.6 and Primary Six students remained level at 5.1.

Middle One and Middle Two students improved while Middle Three students fell back.

The Senior One category also saw students drop, this time by 0.4 points from 7.7 to 7.3.

But Sen. Scott pointed out that all the scores were below grade level for each year.

"There is still a long way to go,'' he said. "Students in Bermuda are still reading below grade level in every year group. That is not acceptable.

"I am delighted that performance is now improving,'' he continued, "but we remain committed to a continued drive to improve literacy standards, supporting the nation-wide adult literacy plan announced by Premier Jennifer Smith on September 8.'' Test results for the Language and Mathematics components were also all below the Norm US Grade or average score expected for the system.

Primary Four and Middle One students took tests in Language and Mathematics in June, 1999, and improvements were registered by the classes who took the tests this year.

Sen. Scott noted steps which had been taken to improve the results.

He said: "Last year we introduced Literary Place so that all students are now working from one text book. All teachers have been given Literary Place training, and it would appear that this is already having an impact on our Reading results.''