NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A national education assessment shows math scores for Louisiana’s eighth graders went up five points over the past two years – the best rate of improvement in the nation.

The Nation’s Report Card was released Wednesday. It shows Louisiana still near the bottom in math and reading scores for fourth and eighth graders.

And the percentage of students judged at least proficient in each subject and grade level was below 30 percent.

Still, the state’s education superintendent pointed to the nation-leading improvement rate for eighth grade math as a sign of progress.

The state education department also released figures showing Louisiana ranking high among states in improving proficiency for math and reading in grades four and eight.