Scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests in the Duquesne City School District fell far below the state requirements in math and reading, according to a report released Tuesday by officials of the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

In addition, the report shows that reading scores in grades four, five and six fell below last year's scores, and math scores in grades four, seven and eight also fell below last year.

This marks the second year of declining scores for the district.

The state Department of Education's benchmark this year for school districts to meet adequate yearly progress required that 63 percent of students score proficient or advanced in reading and 45 percent in math.

The only group of Duquesne students that came close in math was third grade, where 40 percent of students scored proficient or above.

Math scores improved slightly in fifth grade from 26 percent to 27 percent testing proficient or above and held steady in sixth grade at 30 percent.

But math scores dropped from 50 percent to 34 percent in grade four, from 28 percent to 25 percent in grade seven and from 44 percent to 28 percent in grade eight, according to the intermediate unit analysis.

None of the reading scores came close to the state benchmark. The highest percentage -- 33 percent -- was in eighth grade, which was an increase from 23 percent last year.

Seventh-grade reading scores also rose, from 25 percent scoring proficient or above last year to 29 percent this year. In grade three, that number climbed from 25 percent to 28 percent.

But reading scores fell in grades four, five and six. In fourth grade, the decrease was from 28 percent to 17 percent; in fifth grade, from 16 percent to 11 percent; and in sixth grade, from 19 percent to 17 percent.

Despite the low scores, grades six, seven and eight made adequate yearly progress in reading through a designation called safe harbor, said Rosanne Javorsky, senior program director for curriculum and instruction. A district can make adequate yearly progress through safe harbor by reducing the percentage of students who score below proficient by 10 percent from the previous year.

She pointed to the areas of increased scores, in particular eighth-grade reading, where the district had a 10.8 percent increase.

The Allegheny Intermediate Unit has managed the Duquesne City School District, which now serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, for the past year through an agreement with the district and the state Education Department.

The previous year, the district was managed by Pittsburgh Public Schools. During that school year -- 2006-07 -- the district still operated its high school. The high school was closed in June 2007 and high school students now attend either West Mifflin or East Allegheny high schools.

The last year the district saw significant increases in its PSSA scores was on the tests taken in the 2005-06, when the district was managed by an inhouse administration that was later disbanded by the state and Pittsburgh school officials.

"We've been on a roller coaster for the past few years," said Audrey Utley, chairwoman of the state board of control that oversees the district.

"Hopefully, we are looking at a baseline now ... and we will start moving in one direction -- up."

Ms. Javorsky said she didn't expect a significant increase in scores because the intermediate unit did not have its programs in place for the full school year last year.

She said the PSSA test scores correlate with interim assessments the intermediate unit did of students during the past school year.

But she said a number of changes have been made to address academic deficiencies, among them the new leadership team of Principal Davaun Barnett and Assistant Principal Sharon McIntosh, who came from the Weil Accelerated Academy in the Pittsburgh schools.

Also, she said the faculty and intermediate unit staff this summer rewrote the curriculum for reading, writing, math and science. Also, the district has a new student discipline code and is introducing extracurricular activities, including sports teams and student council.

Ms. Javorsky said great emphasis will be placed on reading, with additional support for the lowest-performing readers.

In addition to the changes for the school year, the intermediate unit offered four summer school sessions --attended by a total of 176 children -- aimed at improving academic skills, said Cheryl Fogarty, director for educational services and support for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

One camp was for enrichment in reading and math and was open to all students, while another camp was specifically for special education students.

Another was a math and science camp that some students were invited to attend where they covered topics such as electricity, magnetism and fractions.

The remaining camp, called the Educational Assistance program, was mandatory for 36 students who were going to be held back a grade. Of that total, 25 met the criteria to be promoted to the next grade.

Of the students who didn't meet the criteria, seven are middle school students who have been given individualized academic plans, and if they meet the goals of those plans, they will be promoted to the next grade.

The remainder of the students are from the lower elementary levels and will be retained in the previous grade.