Not for the kids, silly. For the nation. Tuesday marked the release of the National Assessment of Education Progress, also known as NAEP, also known as the Nation's Report Card. The test is significant because it compares the states against each other. The other standardized tests, the ones we obsess about, the ones mandated by No Child Left Behind (Maryland School Assessments here), vary from state to state, making comparisons nearly impossible.

I don't know about the other education reporters, but my inbox has been flooded with press releases giving different groups' spin on the NAEP results.

Maryland State Department of Education: "STATE STUDENTS SHOW ACROSS-THE-BOARD PROGRESS ON NAEP ASSESSMENTS" (talks about Maryland scoring above the national average in all four categories tested: reading and math in fourth and eighth grades, says growth is consistent with progress on other exams mandated by No Child Left Behind)

Advocates for Children and Youth (Baltimore-based advocacy group): "NEW NATIONAL SCORES SHOW MARYLAND STUDENTS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK NATIONALLY IN READING, MATH" (says the state's kids are "stuck in the middle," many children left behind despite the state's wealth)

Southern Regional Education Board: "Many SREB States See Record-High Achievement in Reading, Math on 'Nation's Report Card'" (touts the gains of the states that belong to its consortium but questions whether individual states' tests are as stringent as NAEP, says Maryland had the nation's biggest percentage-point increase in the number of fourth graders scoring at the basic level in math)

American Federation of Teachers: "AFT Welcomes Good News in NAEP Scores, Warns of Troubling Signs" (focuses on eighth-grade reading scores, which have been flat since 2003, blames No Child Left Behind)

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: "2007 NAEP Reports Sustained Improvement In Math Scores Nationwide in Grades 4 and 8" (says public attention to math instruction is paying off)

Don't know what to think? Judge for yourself here. And read Liz's story in today's Sun.