Achievement gaps in most states have narrowed slightly since No Child Left Behind became law, according to a new report out this morning. But in many states, including Florida, the gaps between white and minority students remain massive.

The report from the Center on Education Policy is based on results from state tests between 2002 and 2008. It is somewhat at odds with recent results from the long-term National Assessment of Educational Progress, which showed, at the national level, no significant reduction in gaps between 2004 and 2008.

CEP stresses this finding: Most of the state gaps are narrowing because lower-performing kids are improving – not because higher-performing kids are doing worse.

If you’re a data nut, the way CEP sliced and diced each state’s data – including Florida’s- offers plenty to chew on. For instance, the number of Hispanic students scoring at proficient or above on the math FCAT has grown by an average of 3.2 percentage points a year in grade 8 and 2.7 percentage points a year in grade 10 – in both cases vastly outpacing the average gains for white students.

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