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Students in grades 4, 8 and 11 took the New England thanksgiving gift Assessment Program science test in May. Slightly more than half of the youngest students and few of the oldest have mastered the material. The results show that statewide, 54 percent of 4th-grade students scored proficient or better, up 1 percentage point from 2009. Students in the older grades still struggled: Only 28 percent of 8th-graders reached proficiency, a 4 percentage point gain Cheap Christian Louboutin Shoes last year, and the percent of proficient 11th-graders stayed the same at 24 percent. In 2008, 8th-graders were at 26 percent proficient or better, and 11th-graders at 23 percent. Local students followed the same trend. The class with the best results was the 4th grade in the Keene School District, while high-schoolersCheap Christian Louboutin Pumps especially in Keene, fell behind. (For more area results, see box.) The decline in scores and more sluggish growth in proficiency over time in the upper grades have been longtime trends, according to one state education official. "For the 15 years I've been part of assessment, we've seen more movement at the lower grades than the upper," said Cheap Christian Louboutin Sandals Director of Assessment Timothy D. Kurtz. "Some people say if you're in 11th grade, you've had 10 years of schooling and it's harder to change direction in any measurable way," Kurtz said.