Among students in grades 3-8, about half were proficient in reading, a decline of 6 percentage points. In addition to the dramatic decline in third grade, fourth grade scores fell nearly 6 percentage points, and fifth grade scores fell by 13 points. City officials vowed to conduct an analysis of the sharp fluctuations in reading scores. Asian American students saw the largest declines in reading scores last year among racial groups, with proficiency rates dropping to about 67%, down nearly 8 percentage points. White and Asian American students’ scores dipped by about a percentage point each, to 74% and nearly 80%, respectively.