Iowa high school seniors who took national math and reading exams in 2013 scored just about the same as Iowa 12th graders did back in 2009. The National Assessment of Educational Progress released the scores.

Jay Pennington of the Iowa Department of Education has reviewed the numbers and says the most “startling fact” in the report is that white students in Iowa are “significantly underperforming” compared to the rest of the nation.

Pennington says the “Iowa Core” which pushes schools to make courses tougher and raise standards is important, too.

The average score for Iowa students who take the A-C-T routinely ranks among the nation’s highest, but Pennington points out only 66 percent of Iowa high school seniors take the A-C-T. The National Assessment of Educational Progress addresses all students, not just those heading to college.