Here’s the release from the New Hampshire Department of Education on the just released national test results:

Fifty-nine percent of the tested New Hampshire fourth graders showed proficiency in math, up from 43 percent a decade ago and 57 percent two years ago, putting New Hampshire in the top three states nationwide.

Forty-five percent of sampled fourth graders showed proficiency in reading, up from 40 percent a decade ago and 43 percent two years ago, putting New Hampshire in the top six states in the country.

Forty-seven percent of the tested New Hampshire eighth graders were proficient in math, up from 35 percent a decade ago and 44 percent two years ago, placing New Hampshire in the top five of all states in the nation.

Forty-four percent of the sampled eighth graders were proficient in reading, up from 40 percent in 2011, placing New Hampshire in the top eight of all states.

“This is an affirmation of the tireless efforts of New Hampshire’s public schools to improve instruction in a variety of ways, and I applaud our students and educators for all their work,” New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry said. “But we need to also recognize that we should expect more of, and for, our children and continue to make sure all of our students achieve their full potential. As a state, we must continue to improve our standards in reading and math to help prepare our children for college and career.”

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, referred to as “the Nation’s Report Card,” is administered at the state level every two years. Nationwide, more than 700,000 students were assessed for NAEP 2013. In New Hampshire, nearly 12,000 students, reflecting state demographics, were assessed last year.