Georgia students posted modest academic gains in most of the tested grades and subjects last school year except in one key area.

English Language Arts scores fell in all but two of the seven grade levels that were given Milestones exams, according to scores released by the Georgia Department of Education Friday.

Fifth and eighth graders posted the biggest drops in English proficiency rates. In fifth grade, 43% scored proficient or better, down 5 percentage points from fifth grade test takers the prior year. Eighth graders also fell 5 points, to 40%.

The gains in the two grades that did not lose ground were not big: 2 percentage points in fourth grade and 1 point in seventh. In both grades, two out of five students scored well enough to be considered proficient in English.

Literacy has become a major focus, with the General Assembly requiring new methods of teaching reading in public schools.

Allison Timberlake, who oversees testing for the state education department, said all kindergarten through third grade teachers have now been re-trained in reading instruction and will be using research-backed methods.

“So that work is really getting started for this coming school year,” she said.

The agency sent literacy coaches to 60 of the lowest-performing elementary schools. There are more than 1,200 elementary schools in the state.

Scores in other subjects were generally flat or rising 1 to 3 points.

In math, every tested grade but one did better than the prior year. The biggest gain — 3 percentage points — was in eighth grade, where 47% scored proficient or better. Third graders fell back 1 percentage point, with 44% scoring at least proficient.

The biggest gain in any subject and grade combination was in high school physical science. The percentage of students who scored at least proficient was up 6 points, reaching 57%.

Overall proficiency rates indicate that most students struggle to master the material.

Fewer than half of test takers scored proficient or better in most subjects and grades. The results are generally worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, the test for U.S. history, a high school course taken by students who are not in Advanced Placement or other accelerated classes, showed 39% were proficient, the same as the prior year. That result is down 8 percentage points from the 47% who scored proficient in 2019.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.