Some of the increase is due to a state curriculum that was instituted about five years ago, said Leslie Wilson, head of testing for the state. The more faithfully teachers stick to the curriculum, the more likely it is that students will pass, she said.
But some Maryland state school board members questioned whether the results were cause for celebration, when other national tests don't show the same kind of gains.
Maryland students have not made improvements on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national test that samples to students in most states. About 2,500 students in the state take the examination.
"It is just not clear to me what these scores mean," said school board member Kate Walsh, referring to the MSA results. "I am not sure we can assure the public that this 85 percent proficiency [in math] means much."
State schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick argued that the national test is not as reliable as the Maryland examination, and that students are not as motivated to do well.
In the next year, Maryland and many other states are expected to agree to common standards and soon after that a new national test that proponents say will more accurately measure differences between states. That test would replace the MSA.
The results also show the state continues to close the gap in achievement between students of different races, a key goal of federal and state programs. The difference between the test scores of African-American and white pupils in elementary school math has been cut in half over the past six years.
In Anne Arundel County, white students outperformed black students by 13.4 percentage points in elementary reading scores in 2004. This year, the difference has shrunk to 7.6 points.
"While I have been very clear that the ultimate goal continues to be the elimination, not the closing, of the achievement gap, I am very pleased at these results," Anne Arundel Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell said. "All of us - those within our system and those outside of it - must continue our diligent work in this area to eliminate this gap for all student groups."
In Baltimore, a crowd of teachers, administrators, students and parents packed the Abbottston Elementary gymnasium to celebrate the system's accomplishments - as well as the school's.
