On the nation's report card, California schools have advanced from failing to -- failing a teensy bit less. Despite posting minute gains this year, California students scored at nearly the bottom of the nation in reading and math, test results show. In reading, California performed worse than all other states and only outscored Washington, D.C. In math, state fourth-graders ranked above only D.C. and Mississippi; eighth-graders did a notch better, also outscoring Alabama. The National Assessment of Education Progress is administered every other year to a sampling of students across the country. It is the only nationally standardized test for...