On the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress, considered one of the most authoritative tests for writing proficiency nationwide, Hawai'i fourth graders scored a 149 average, compared with a national average of 153 on a 300-point scale. Eighth graders had an average score of 138, compared with a national average of 152. The results were released today.

"Scores are still lower than we'd like, but they are improving and Hawai'i's public school students are moving forward," Superintendent Pat Hamamoto said.

In the fourth grade, 83 percent or more scored at least at the basic level, which means they could get their point across with at least some effectiveness, including 22 percent at proficient levels and 1 percent at the advanced level.

About three-fourths of eighth graders scored at the basic level or higher, including 18 percent at proficient and 1 percent at the advanced level.

The new report provides a sense of how well students can write essays, communicate information and compose arguments ­ skills considered essential for success in post-high school education and the workplace.

Hawai'i's average fourth grade writing scores were higher than or statistically equivalent to 25 of the 47 other states and jurisdictions that participated in the test.

But its eighth graders fell below nearly all other jurisdictions tested. Of 46 states and jurisdictions, Hawai'i average score was on par with three states (Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico) and above four jurisdictions (American Samoa, District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands).

"Although eighth grade scores are not as high as those in grade four, we are encouraged that 74 percent of eighth graders are scoring at or above basic in writing. That's better than our eighth grade scores on other NAEP content areas," Hamamoto said.

Hawai'i also took NAEP reading and math tests in 2002.

Nationally, results showed that fourth-graders and eighth-graders have become better writers, but fewer 12th-grade students can convey well-organized ideas.

Even the signs of improvement must be considered in context: Most students still can't provide coherent answers with clear language, supporting details, accurate punctuation and creative thinking.

Students were given a range of assignments, from writing a letter to a newspaper editor to composing a tale about a character with superhuman ability. The sophistication of the questions grew by grade, as did the expectations of the assessors, who watched for content, organization, sentence structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Students tested were given two 25-minute writing tasks designed for their grade level.

NAEP, often called the Nation's Report Card, is the only federally financed ongoing assessment of student achievement on a national scale.

The federal No Child Left Behind legislation, passed in 2001, now requires states who receive federal money for high poverty schools to participate in NAEP in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 every two years. But participation in writing remains voluntary.

Hawai'i is one of 18 states that have participated in all NAEP state assessments since they started in 1990.

The NAEP reading scores, released last month, showed that Hawai'i public school students remain among the least proficient readers in the country, although test scores are improving and indicate the state is making some progress in closing that achievement gap.

Math scores from the 2002 test will be released in the fall.

NAEP does not provide individual scores for the students or schools assessed. Instead, it gives results about subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences and school environment for fourth and eighth graders and subgroups of those populations (female students or Hispanic students, for example).

Complete NAEP results can be found at www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.