[ChildOfThe60s]

Not one U.S. state can boast that a majority of the 8th-graders in its public schools last year had achieved grade-level proficiency or better in either reading or math.

Better read it again

[moog]

Sorry, I deal with this every year. The proficient grade level score means an ADVANCED grade level score while a basic grade level "mastery" score is in another category. Grade level mastery would include many more than this (though for DC, I imagine that STILL falls far below what it should). As I said, there are many ways of looking at it.