Wisconsin fourth and eighth grade students’ test scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress ranked above the national average, a report released this week showed.

Test results were released for the last two years, the only two years the test has been federally required. The NAEP is used to determine progress of students' abilities in math and reading.

"Wisconsin [has] a long history of quality education. It's not unexpected that our test scores would go up," said Patrick Gasper, communications officer for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Some of the factors that have made Wisconsin students successful include "community involvement, quality teachers, parent involvement and the high expectations that we set," Gasper said.

However, scores of eighth grade students dropped in the reading portion of the test.

"We saw that the score dropped, and we are concerned, but it wasn't statistically significant," Gasper said.

Despite the state’s high scores, the NAEP test results show an achievement gap between students of different races and socioeconomic standings.

"We are concerned to see that the gap got bigger in reading between African American and white students," Gasper said. "But, the gap got smaller between Hispanic and white students."

University of Wisconsin Department of Curriculum and Instruction Professor Thomas Popkewitz, said the NAEP bases its standards on one level of achievement. However, Popkewitz added this is problematic as there are multiple ways of measuring educational achievement.

"One of the limitations of the test is that [schools] receive a ballpark figure, very general markers about what people know," Popkewitz said. "The tests are not a good measure of what it means to be educated and are too narrow. What is it to be an educated person?"

However, the NAEP is not the only way Wisconsin public schools tests its students.

"[The state] has been using [the NAEP] as one of many possible measures of success," Gasper said. "It doesn't test everyone it is just a measure, it helps us determine progress. This is not the end-all, be-all of tests — it is just a measurement."

There are certain programs that are attempting to improve educational conditions around the state, include SAGE, Student Achievement Guarantee in Education, promoting education of 4-year-olds.

“Early education helps prepare them for school at an early age," Gasper said. "[SAGE] is helping maintain smaller class sizes at earlier age, which is allowing parents to have more one-on-one time with teachers."