For several years now, New York students have shown steady improvement on state tests given in math and English Language Arts. Students' scores on these tests, given in fourth and eighth grade, have been rising and there are now clear signs the performance gap is beginning to close.

For example, more than 78 percent of elementary students met the Regents' standards in math in 2003, up from 68 percent in 2002. More than 64 percent of fourth-graders met all the state standards in English Language Arts, up from 48 percent in 1999, the first year the test was given. Minority students and many high-need schools - in New York City, Syracuse, Rochester and Yonkers - are making major gains. Not only are greater numbers of minority children rising up to meet stiffer academic challenges, the percentage of students with serious academic deficiencies is shrinking. At the same time, the gap in achievement between minority students and white students is beginning to close. The trends are moving in the right direction - toward improvement and, ultimately, excellence.

Some 300 school districts, from 53 different counties, succeeded in helping 90 percent or more of their students meet or exceed the Regents standards in either math or English Language Arts in 2003.

In 2003, 273 school districts had 90 percent or more of their students score at Level 3 or 4 on the fourth-grade math test, up from 135 districts in 2002.

In elementary English Language Arts, 39 school districts successfully brought 90 percent or more of their students up to - or above - the Regents' standards in 2003, up from only five school districts in 1998-99.

On top of this, 91 individual New York City public schools demonstrated excellence on state tests in 2003, guiding at least 90 percent of their fourth-graders to meet or surpass the Regents standards on either math or English Language Arts. The other large urban school districts of Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo also had individual public schools that excelled, with at least nine out of 10 students scoring at Level 3 or 4.

In middle-level math and English Language Arts, where frustration is high and success most elusive, there has still been some progress - although not nearly enough. Whereas in 1998-99, only seven school districts had at least 90 percent of their students reach or surpass the Regents' standards in either math or English Language Arts, the number of districts demonstrating excellence rose to 25 in 2002 and 18 in 2003.

Some districts have even achieved perfection. West Valley, Andes, Keene, Wheelerville, Inlet, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Webb, Edinburg, Romulus, Parishville-Hopkinton and Bolton are all rural districts where every single one of their students - 100 percent - met or exceeded the Regents' standards on either the fourth or eighth-grade tests last year.

New York's surge at the top levels also is evident on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which is also known as the Nation's Report Card.

• The percentage of public school fourth-graders scoring at the highest two levels (proficient and advanced) in reading increased by 30 percent over the last decade. [3]
• New York's fourth-graders ranked third in the nation in writing on the NAEP test. [4]
• In math, the percentage of public school fourth-graders scoring at the highest two levels increased by 29 percent from 1992 to 2002. Among eighth-graders, the percentage of students proficient or advanced rose 73 percent from 1990 to 2000. [5]
• New York City public schools out-shined other large urban districts in the rest of the nation on the NAEP tests, with students performing very well compared to national averages. Hispanic fourth-graders, for example, have higher reading achievement than their counterparts across the nation. Where New York City really stands out is in the achievement of low-income students. Among large urban districts, New York City ranks first in the proportion of low-income students who are proficient readers, and has the smallest percentage of students scoring "below basic," the lowest category. [6]

The dramatic burst of high achievement at the national level, and in the number of school districts helping 90 percent of more of their students to reach the Regents' standards, is encouraging and exciting. It's part of a quiet revolution toward excellence and should be viewed as a harbinger of more excellence to come.

NEXT: "2. Regents Diplomas: More than Circumstance and Pomp"