By By Lisa Tindell
news editor
Are you smarter than a fourth-grader?
The answer could be “no,” according to scores seen recently by Alabama students — including those at Pollard-McCall — in the National Assessment of Education Progress.
Students, chosen randomly by the U.S. Department of Education, took a battery of tests in reading and mathematics in February. Scores were released in September and found Alabama fourth-graders among the best in the nation in both subjects for improvement.
Pollard-McCall Junior High School was chosen as the only school in Escambia County to participate in the testing.
White said the card asked Morton to “believe in each of us. We won’t let you down.” Morton responded to the card by passing a special resolution in honor of the fourth-grade students at Pollard-McCall Junior High School.
White said last year’s fourth grade students who took the test worked hard on their studies and when taking the tests, and their hard work paid off.
Dubbed NAEP Heroes, the school received a letter of congratulations from Gov. Bob Riley and state superintendent Morton.
In the letter, school officials were told that Alabama led the nation in reading score gains with an improvement of eight points.