PIERRE, S.D.(KBRK)- State Education Secretary Joseph Graves testified Thursday before the legislature’s Government Operations and Audit Committee.

The state’s own report card recently showed just 52 percent of South Dakota students performing at grade level in English and 44 percent performing at grade level in math.

The committee asked Graves to defend those scores.

He said his department is making changes.

Graves said their push towards the ‘Science of Reading’ methodology has already begun.