Austin students made little progress on state math tests — and actually performed a bit worse than last year on reading tests, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Austin’s near standstill is in line with the rest of the state, as both the city and statewide achievement gaps haven’t budged.

On required tests, 62 percent of Austin public school students were proficient in math, compared to 60 percent last year. In reading, 65 percent were proficient, compared to 69 percent last year.

Austin is below the statewide rate on both tests.

Statewide, 66.1 percent of the public school students were proficient in math; 72.5 percent of the state’s students were proficient in reading.

The federal No Child Left Behind law that mandates the state tests — which are given to third- through eighth-graders and high school juniors — requires that every student in the nation reach “proficiency” by 2014.

Austin, for the second year in a row, did not meet its goals.

Since 2002, states have had to test how student groups fare. If one group at a school fails to meet targets, the school is stamped as not meeting AYP.

The state will release this year’s list of schools falling behind in August.

For detailed rates of proficiency and local educators’ responses, look to the Austin Daily Herald Friday.