Florida Fourth Graders on Top TAMPA (WUSF) - In 1948, southern states banded together to improve the quality of education in the region. Today, that organization released a progress report that shows Florida is making gains among younger students, but still has work to do.

Seventy percent of Florida fourth graders are reading at or above the basic skill level when measured on a national test. That's above the U.S average.

But when the Southern Regional Education Board looked more closely, its progress report found Florida accomplished that despite almost half of Florida fourth graders live in low-income families. Alan Richard is spokesman for SREB.

"That's a very encouraging sign," Richard said. "Its remarkable that states in a region with so many students from low income families are doing better than the nation."

However, Richard added that Florida needs to do better when it comes to high school graduation rates where one in three students don't earn a high school diploma on time.

"Raising your state's education levels will only pay off," Richard said.

The SREB Progress Report shows that fewer Florida students are entering college than in other states. But, once there, Florida college students are more likely to graduate.



To read the full SREB Progress Report on Florida, click here. © Copyright 2013, WUSF