Catholic school students in the archdiocese again scored above the national average on standardized achievement tests administered earlier this year to third, fifth, and seventh grade students. The average total score, including reading, language and math, for the 215 elementary schools across Lake and Cook counties was at the 72nd percentile for third graders, 72nd percentile for fifth graders, and 80th percentile for seventh graders. Performance on science and social studies tests at schools across the archdiocese also exceeded national norms with third graders scoring at the 73rd and 75th percentiles, respectively; fifth graders scoring at the 70th and 71st percentiles, respectively; and seventh graders scoring at the 68th and 77th percentiles, respectively. Catholic school students in the City of Chicago and those in schools supported by the Big Shoulders Fund, where 80 percent of students are racial or ethnic minorities and 61 percent are from low-income families, also exceeded national averages. Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago use the Terra Nova tests, published by California- based CTB-McGraw Hill, which are dually aligned with archdiocesan curricula and Illinois State Learning Standards.