PHILADELPHIA — More of the state's fourth- and eighth-graders are proficient in math and reading than they were two years ago, but a majority still lack the expected skills, according to a federal report released last week.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as "The Nation's Report Card" — also showed that Pennsylvania's average scores were higher than the national averages.

Forty-one percent of Pennsylvania fourth-graders were considered proficient in math, up from 36 percent in 2003; 31 percent of eighth-graders were considered proficient, compared to 30 percent.

In reading, 36 percent of fourth-graders were considered proficient this year, up from 33 percent in 2003; for eighth-graders, 36 percent were proficient, compared to 32 percent.

"While these results are promising, we still have too many students who are not performing at proficient levels," acting state Secretary of Education Gerald Zahorchak said in a statement. "The tested eighth graders are (now) in their first year of high school and we are optimistic that our high school reform agenda will support these students in terms of academic and career readiness required for the high demands of our global economy."

Students were scored on a 500-point scale. Average scores for Pennsylvania students ranged from 223 to 281; the national range was 217 to 278.

Achieving "proficient" scores has become important for schools across the nation under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires all students to be proficient in math and reading by 2014. The term means students have shown they can understand challenging subject matter and apply it to real-world situations.

Black students in the state scored an average of 27 to 37 points lower than their white counterparts this year, although those numbers are an improvement over previous years.

Hispanics' scores generally lagged by 20 to 27 points, but no comparison data was available.

Low-income students, defined as those eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch, usually scored 25 to 30 points lower than their wealthier peers.

Those figures represent mixed results: The achievement gap narrowed for fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores, but widened for eighth-grade reading and fourth-grade math.

Nationwide, the report card showed 36 percent of fourth-graders and 30 percent of eighth-graders were considered proficient in math; in reading, 31 percent of students in both grades were proficient.

Nationally, the math results were an improvement over the percentages two years ago, but the reading results were either at or below 2003 levels.