ATLANTA — Georgia students posted modest academic gains in most of the tested grades and subjects last school year except in one key area.

English Language Arts scores fell in all but two of the seven grade levels that were given Milestones exams, according to scores released by the Georgia Department of Education Friday.

Fifth and eighth graders posted the biggest drops in English proficiency rates. In fifth grade, 43% scored proficient or better, down 5 percentage points from fifth grade test takers the prior year. Eighth graders also fell 5 points, to 40%.

The gains in the two grades that did not lose ground were not big: 2 percentage points in fourth grade and 1 point in seventh. In both grades, two out of five students scored well enough to be considered proficient in English.

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