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Although Maryland School Assessment scores released Tuesday show a steady rise in many categories, all middle schools in the county failed to meet Adequate Yearly Progress, the state's mandated annual achievement goals.

Out of 137 elementary schools in the county, 51 schools also failed to make benchmark improvements.

To earn AYP, schools must make progress in reading and math for all demographics and meet the testing participation requirement of 95 percent.

"The scores aren't exactly where we would like to see them," school board chairwoman Verjeana Jacobs (At large) said Tuesday.

County students made the biggest improvements in sixth-grade reading, jumping from 75.9 percent of students passing the test last year to 81.1 percent this year. The state average for sixth-grade reading is 86.1 percent.

Jacobs said more work needs to be done at the middle-school level, particularly eighth grade, where math scores dropped to 41.2 percent passing from 43.2 percent in 2009.

Eleven elementary schools failed to meet AYP for the second year in a row and entered "school improvement" status, a reform phase that can require schools to make changes such as replacing staff or providing additional training if they have not made progress for two consecutive years.

On the elementary level, 78.4 and 77.5 percent of county test-takers scored proficient or advanced in reading and math, respectively. On average across the state, 86.9 percent of elementary students scored proficient or advanced in reading and 86.5 percent scored proficient or advanced in math.