Connecticut eighth graders topped the nation in writing performance on the test known as the Nation's Report Card, according to results released this morning.

State students' overall performance – a tie with New Jersey – also marked an improvement since 2002, the last time the 8th grade writing test was administered. Still, wide gaps along racial and economic lines persisted, a dynamic reflected in nearly all indicators meant to provide a snapshot of Connecticut's schools.

The test, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is the only standardized test administered nationwide and is often used as a gauge of how states are performing. Congress requires states to test students on the exam's math and reading portions every two years, while the writing test, administered less frequently, is voluntary. Last year, all but five states participated.

In Connecticut, 2,500 students from about 100 schools, selected by the U.S. Department of Education to be a representative sample of the state, took the exam.

State education officials said they were pleased with Connecticut's top overall ranking but are still concerned about the achievement gaps.

Connecticut has long included writing in its standardized assessments, and has continued to do so even though the federal No Child Left Behind Act does not require any writing exams.

"Our teachers are teaching writing everyday, and it's paying off," state Department of Education spokesman Tom Murphy said.

The gaps in student achievement along racial and economic lines declined between 2002 and 2007, but not enough to be statistically significant.

Overall, 53 percent of the students tested scored at or above proficient on the exam. Among white students, 63 percent reached that level, compared with 52 percent of Asian students, 27 percent of black students, and 27 percent of Hispanic students.

Among students eligible for free and reduced price lunches – an indicator of poverty – 28 percent scored at or above proficient, compared with 62 percent of non-eligible students.

Only 18 percent of students with disabilities and 4 percent of English-language learners scored at or above proficient.

Female students outperformed their male counterparts by a significant margin. While 63 percent of female students scored at or above proficient, only 42 percent of male students did. Those figures are consistent with the gap shown on the state's standardized test, the Connecticut Mastery Test.

Eighth-grade females also outperformed males on the 2007 NAEP reading exam, but by a smaller margin. On the math exam, there was virtually no difference by gender; 35 percent of males achieved proficiency or above, as did 34 percent of females.

More information is available at: www.nationsreportcard.gov Contact Arielle Levin Becker at alevinbecker@courant.com.