Educational Achievement Still Falling : Schools: Fewer seniors are graduating, Education Department’s state-by-state report says.

Student academic achievement continued a fall that started three years ago and fewer seniors graduated from high school, the Education Department said today in releasing its annual state-by-state performance chart.

The results prompted Education Secretary Lauro F. Cavazos to call for “a total commitment to the reform and restructuring of our education system.”

“Although we have had some laudable reform efforts during the past 15 years, it is clear that as a nation we are still not seriously committed to working for positive change in our education system,” Cavazos said.

Key findings of the report, popularly known as the “wall chart,” included the following:

--The national high school graduation rate declined from 71.7% to 71.1% from 1987 to 1988.

--The average American College Testing program examination scores declined nationally by 0.2 of a point to 18.6 from 1988 to 1989; average Scholastic Aptitude Test scores declined by 1 point to 903.

--The percentage of public high school graduates who received a qualifying score on advanced placement examinations declined from 8.8% to 8.6% between 1988 and 1989.

The chart has become controversial within the Bush Administration.

Officials acknowledged that the White House had argued for abandoning the practice this year since President Bush and the nation’s governors had worked to develop national education goals and still are devising more accurate forms of assessment. However, Cavazos wanted the report released.

Of the 28 states that offer the ACT tests, the report said North Dakota, Alabama, Nevada and Utah showed the greatest improvement between 1982 and 1989. Improving in SAT scores during the same years were South Carolina, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey.

States showing a decline in ACT scores were Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa. Declining in SAT scores were New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Delaware.

The highest-scoring states on the ACT tests were Iowa, Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota, Colorado and Nebraska. Highest-scoring states on the SAT were New Hampshire, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut and California.

According to the report, the states with the highest graduation rates in 1988 were Minnesota at 90.9%, North Dakota at 88.3%, Wyoming at 88.3%, Montana at 87.3% and Iowa at 85.8%.

States with the lowest graduation rates in 1988 were Florida at 58%, the District of Columbia at 58.2%, Georgia at 61%, Arizona at 61.1% and Louisiana at 61.4%.