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A look at math scores by state

A state-by-state look at average math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nationwide series of federally funded achievement tests often referred to as the nation’s report card:

On nationwide math tests, fourth-grader progress stalls but eighth-graders improve

WASHINGTON — New math scores show fourth-graders made no gains since 2007, the first time in two decades they have failed to improve. Eighth-graders advanced for yet another year.

On nationwide math tests, fourth-grade progress stalls but eighth-graders improve

WASHINGTON — New test scores show fourth-graders made no gains in math since 2007, although eighth-graders’ scores improved.

Leading mathematician, professor Israel Gelfand dies in NJ at age 96

NEWARK, N.J. — A Russian immigrant who was considered one of the world’s top mathematicians has died in New Jersey. Israel Gelfand was 96.

Argentine astronomer calculated orbits of Halley’s Comet and Saturn’s outermost moon

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pedro Elias Zadunaisky, an Argentine astronomer and mathematician whose calculations helped determine the orbit of Saturn’s outermost moon, Phoebe, as well as Halley’s Comet, died Wednesday. He was 91.

FACT CHECK: Obama uses iffy math in pledging health insurance overhaul won’t fatten deficit

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama used only-in-Washington accounting Wednesday when he promised to overhaul the nation’s health care system without adding “one dime” to the deficit. By conventional arithmetic, Democratic plans would drive up the deficit by billions of dollars.

SEC drops stock option backdating case against Google director Mather, former Pixar CFO

LOS ANGELES — The Securities and Exchange Commission has dropped its stock option backdating case against Ann Mather, a Google Inc. board member since November 2005 and former chief financial officer of Pixar Animation Studios.

ACT scores hold steady; more students college-ready but most will still need remedial work

Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam held steady for the high school class of 2009, a sign of modest progress considering the pool of students taking the test continues to expand.

Meltdown 101: Enticed by ‘cash for clunkers’? Do your homework before jumping in to a new car

Is the government’s cash-for-clunkers rebate and the thought of that new car smell about to pull you off the couch and into the nearest showroom?

On 40th anniversary, Apollo 11 astronauts meet Obama, who makes no promise of moon or Mars

WASHINGTON — The same question that could have been asked 40 years ago moments after Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon is still being asked today: Now what?

Georgia could toss suspect math exam results, joining long lists of state with tampered tests

ATLANTA — Georgia could become the latest state to punish schools caught cheating on standardized tests, becoming another example of what some observers call an alarming trend of educators caving under the pressure to meet federal achievement standards.

From math and science to ‘matematik’ and ’sains’: Malaysia schools drop instruction in English

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia announced Wednesday it will abandon the use of English to teach math and science, bowing to protesters who demanded more use of the national Malay language.

What’s your Social Security number? Researchers say it’s surprisingly easy to figure out

WASHINGTON — For all the concern about identity theft, researchers say there’s a surprisingly easy way for the technology-savvy to figure out the precious nine digits of Americans’ Social Security numbers.