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California students posted the biggest gains on a national standardized test last year, placing the state in the unfamiliar position of being the best rather than among the worst when it comes to anything related to education.

Students here topped those in the 49 other states with a seven-point gain in eighth-grade reading, according to results released Thursday.

California’s normal academic neighbors, Mississippi and Alabama, lost a point and tied for the bottom spot.

The achievement wasn’t enough to raise California from its overall below-average position on what’s called the Nation’s Report Card, which includes math and reading test scores from a sampling of fourth- and eighth-grade students every two years.

Still, California looked really good at the top of a list – even if it was in only one category.

“Literacy is at the core of a child’s education, and it’s remarkable to see such a major gain in scores in just one year,” said Mike Kirst, president of the state Board of Education, in a statement announcing the results.

The state’s eighth-graders posted a score of 262 points in reading – four points shy of the national average – on the 500-point scale. Massachusetts posted the highest middle school reading score, 277.

More than 700 schools and 16,000 California students participated in the tests during the 2012-13 school year, and, overall, scores went up in most categories, which are broken down by grade, ethnicity and income. It’s an improvement from largely stagnant state scores on the national test.

Built-in difference

Still, California scores lagged behind those of most other states, in part because of the higher number of English learners and low-income students enrolled in the state and included in the sample of those tested.

And, following recession-era cuts to education funding, the scores were that much sweeter, state officials said.

“The resilience and tenacity of our schools have seen them through some challenging years, and I’m glad to see this validation of the hard work of educators, students and their families,” state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement.

Reason unclear

Of course, the lingering question was why eighth-grade reading scores jumped so much.

“We are looking into this issue, but have no conclusions now,” Kirst said.

At a national level, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan noted that states already incorporating the new Common Core standards showed impressive gains. The new standards change what is taught in each grade level and encourages deeper understanding of the topics that are taught.

Under the new standards, eighth-grade reading emphasizes analysis of texts and literature, including determining themes and central ideas in short-answer or essay form.

The national assessment also requires students to explain their answers rather than simply pick from multiple-choice answers.

California is among the states that have adopted Common Core standards, offering a possible explanation for the big gain in middle school reading.

Inching up

Overall, scores in the state inched up, although there were clouds with California’s silver lining.

In fourth grade, the reading score was up two points to 213 and remained stagnant at 234 in math. Eighth-grade math students scored 276 points, up three points from 2011.

Yet significant gaps remained between high-achieving students and African American, low-income and Latino peers. Eighth-grade African American students, for example, scored 33 points lower than white students in math, a gap that hasn’t changed much since 1990, according to the 2013 Report Card.

Nationally, scores continued a slow rise, drawing praise from Duncan.

“Our national progress makes me optimistic that local leaders and educators are showing the way to raising standards and driving innovation in the next few years,” Duncan said. “It is encouraging to see progress in tough economic times, when so many states and local communities have struggled with significant cuts to their education budgets.”

Less upbeat view

Others weren’t so upbeat, given overall numbers showing that the majority of students across the country scored below proficiency in math and English.

According to the results, just over a third of eighth-grade students across the country were proficient or above in math and reading, while 35 percent of fourth-graders were proficient in reading and 42 percent were proficient in math.

The proficiency rates are “a disgrace and truly incomprehensible,” said Kara Kerwin, president of the Center for Education Reform, a national organization that supports charter schools, in a statement. “The stagnant results of (the national test) should make us all much more uncomfortable perpetuating excuses.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.