By STEPHANIE HODGIN
Governor’s Office

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Mike Pence today issued the following statement after learning Indiana’s National Assessment of Educational Progress results have outpaced the national average at every level.

“Every Hoosier should be proud that Indiana’s kids and teachers have once again outperformed their peers in this year’s ‘national report card,’” Pence said. “This success is a testament to our world-class teachers in classrooms all across our state who work each and every day to inspire students to be successful. Our student proficiency ratings continue to outpace the national average and Indiana now ranks well above the national average at every level. It is clear that by raising education standards in Indiana, we are setting the bar high for Hoosier students.”

NAEP, known as the nation’s report card, is taken by students across the nation and is widely recognized as the largest nationally representative assessment used to compare student performance across the nation. The test shows what America’s fourth- and eighth-grade students know and can do in math and reading. Indiana’s students ranked higher than the national average in all four categories; fourth-grade math ranked third in the nation, fourth-grade reading ranked 14th in the nation, eighth-grade math ranked 10th in the nation and eighth-grade reading ranked 15th in the nation. Indiana’s proficiency rating is now ranked in the top half in all four categories for both subjects and grades.

Pence signed the biennial budget for fiscal years 2016-17, which increased K-12 education funding by $480 million. Following this significant increase in investment, K-12 funding now makes up 52 percent of the state biennial budget. Governor Pence also prioritized $70 million in teacher performance grants, ensuring that good teachers are better paid.