MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama ranks near the bottom of the country in eight-grade mathematics.

A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education shows that the eighth-graders in Alabama public schools increased the average score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress math test by three points to 269.

But the scores lag behind the rest of the country. Only Mississippi and the District of Columbia fared worse.

Alabama Superintendent Joe Morton emphasized the improvement that's been made. He says "we're not where we want to be, we're not where we are going to be, but we're not where we used to be."

The test, called "The Nation's Report Card," is meant to measure how states are doing academically compared to the rest of the country in subjects like math, reading, science, history and geography.