Georgia showed improved math scores for 8th- and 4th-graders on a national test. Officials credit a new, more rigorous curriculum.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress issued the Nation’s Report Card today. It showed that Georgia 8th-graders jumped up three points to 278 in two years.

They still trail four points behind the national average of 282.

State School Superintendent Kathy Cox credits the fact that math has gotten tougher in the past three years, as Georgia has switched to a more rigorous curriculum.

A spokesman for the Department of Education says Georgia was one of 15 states singled out in the report for its gains.

Georgia’s 4th-graders lifted their score by only one point to 236. That’s three points behind the national average.

Officials say 4th-graders only had the new math curriculum for a year and a half.

Tags: Georgia, science, reading, Kathy Cox, eighth grade, U.S. Department of Education, mathematics, The Nation's Report Card, history, geography