D.C. fourth- and eighth-graders performed better on the latest round of math and reading tests than they did two years ago but continue to lag behind the national average and most other urban U.S. school districts, according to scores released Thursday.

In both subjects and at both grade levels, District students improved — in some cases in greater spurts than those in other districts taking the tests.

In D.C., the biggest increase was in fourth-grade reading, where the average score went from 191 in 2005 to 197 in 2007. The other three categories saw increases of two or three points apiece.

Yet the fact the city’s scores remain on the low end of the spectrum shows there are still strides to be made, officials told The Examiner.

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“This is the first time we’ve seen noticeable gains in the District, which is encouraging,” said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools, which was instrumental in getting city-specific testing permitted seven years ago. “D.C., though, is still below urban school averages and national averages and often bringing up the rear. [It] still has a long way to go.”

The scores are part of The Nation’s Report Card, an annual snapshot used to compare cities across the nation.

The results unveiled Thursday focused exclusively on urban systems that agreed to participate, including Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Cleveland; Houston; New York City; Chicago; Los Angeles and San Diego.

Of these, only Austin and Charlotte had averages surpassing the national one.

One factor that experts say helped spur the gains is that D.C. excluded a greater percentage of students with disabilities or language barriers from the tests because of a recent rule change.

Casserly acknowledged it was a factor but downplayed how leaving out more students affected the results.

D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s spokeswoman, Mafara Hobson, wrote in an e-mail that Rhee hadn’t yet reviewed the results.

dlevitz@dcexaminer.com