The scores are the first from an assessment given in the spring that was designed to gauge how well students are learning new standards fully implemented for the first time last school year.
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The state also released final tallies of the number of students who opted out of the tests, after that movement saw dramatic growth over the a year ago.
The new math and English standards are aligned with the national Common Core guidelines for what students should learn in each grade.
She added: “While tests are only one way of measuring student learning – and we, certainly, can not draw too many conclusions with (only) one year of baseline data – we are encouraged by what we see”.
The state Education Department released the results of the statewide English and math tests taken in April and May by thousands of students in grades three through eight.
The federal No Child Left Behind law requires that at least 95 percent of eligible students participate each year in state English and math testing.
In English, 31.3 percent of test takers scored at the proficient level compared to 30.6 in 2014 and 31.1 in 2013.
In math, the level of proficiency increased seven percentage points in two years: to 38.1 percent in 2015 from 36.2 percent in 2014 and 31.1 percent in 2013.
“The transition to new learning standards is not easy, and success isn’t instantaneous”, state Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said in a news release.
She said they were higher than the scores students got during the field tests.
Governor Cuomo said the tests are necessary to assess students, and district and teacher performance. Under the old test standard last year, the same age group tested at just over 50 percent proficient or advanced in English language arts.
While expectations were raised for both English and math the standards stayed the same for science.
Some of the statewide test scores were not as good.
Eighth-graders tested the lowest in mathematics, with 28.3 percent performing in the proficient or advanced category, students enrolled in Algebra I were not included in that percentage.
“We must also do a better job of explaining to parents the benefits of higher standards and annual testing”, state education commissioner Elia said. In ELA, the percent dropped slightly, from 8.1 percent at levevl 3 and higher this year compared to 8.5 percent in 2014.
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“When this last revision was put into play, it was actually coming from business and colleges sat down and said ‘how do we ensure that our kids are coming to us ready to be successful, college-ready, career-ready?'” She said. And in the Math assesement, only 7-percent out of 9,600 students scored at a proficient level.
