WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- U.S. schoolchildren still have work to do when it comes to mathematics , the secretary of education said Wednesday . Education Secretary Arne Duncan says U.S. schools need to be better equipped to teach math . Arne Duncan , releasing a report on the Department of Education 's latest examination of how well American children are doing in mathematics , said no one should be satisfied with what it found . `` Today 's results are evidence that we must better equip our schools to improve the knowledge and skills of America 's students in mathematics , '' he said . `` More must be done to narrow the troubling achievement gap that has persisted in mathematics , and to ensure that America 's students make greater gains toward becoming competitive with their peers in other countries . '' Fourth- and eighth-grade students from more than 7,000 public and private schools nationwide were tested by the National Assessment of Educational Progress for the report , titled `` The Nation 's Report Card : Mathematics 2009 . '' Massachusetts students had the highest marks at both grade levels . Other high-performing states were Minnesota , Vermont , New Hampshire and New Jersey . The area with the lowest marks in both grades was the District of Columbia , though the report showed that the district -- along with Nevada , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont -- had improved its scores since the last tests were taken in 2007 . The average scores were categorized at each grade level into four groups : below basic , basic , proficient , and advanced . According to the Department of Education , some of the skills required to achieve a basic level of understanding of mathematics at the fourth-grade level include performing simple computations with whole numbers ; showing understanding of fractions and decimals ; and solving simple real-world problems . To achieve a basic level of understanding at the eighth-grade level , students must be able work with whole numbers , decimals , fractions and percentages ; be able to solve word problems and use diagrams , charts and graphs ; and be able to solve simple algebra and geometry problems . Scores were slightly higher in the 2009 report than they were in 2007 , but Duncan said more needs to be done . `` Our students need to graduate high school ready to succeed in college and the workplace , '' he said . The National Assessment of Educational Progress results `` are a call to action to reform the teaching and learning of mathematics and other related subjects in order to prepare our students to compete in the global economy . ''
Department of Education takes look at how American kids are doing in mathematics . Comment: Massachusetts , Minnesota , Vermont , New Hampshire , New Jersey ranked high . District of Columbia had lowest marks in both grades , but its scores are up since '07 .