In proficiency testing schemes, the assigned value has a standard uncertainty which arises from the method used to determine it.
Some gains in proficiency can be masked by temporary losses but will emerge later.
"You drop them off at the beginning of the year, and on average, by the end of the year, your child lost ground in proficiency," Mr. Liebman said.
Aardman is a haven for the humanish: for creatures that hail from other species but match us or even, in Gromit's case, outstrip us in proficiency and grace.
For the trombonist Robin Eubanks and the trumpeter Alex (Sasha) Sipiagin that meant improvisation in a heroic mode, steeped in proficiency and clarity.
It's been suggested that the benefits of caffeine, in terms of heightened focus, might be offset by a decrease in proficiency at more imaginative tasks.
But as the season winds down, Mr. Levine has turned even those concerts largely to operatic fare, in which this orchestra is unsurpassed in proficiency.
Only students in Charlotte, N.C., of the 10 urban districts studied, surpassed the national average in proficiency in reading and math.
The exams were fundamentally different from those given in 2005, so the results cannot be compared with earlier tests to gauge changes in proficiency.
In Australian terms, "this may be found in proficiency in a regional language, an interest in cross-border law or simply a thirst to work with a team which is not limited to Australian borders," she said.
Reading scores among fourth and eighth graders were included in the results, which showed that Charlotte students in both grades outperformed their peers and surpassed the national average in proficiency by small margins.
