Former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley infamously declared nearly nine years ago that the state’s educational system “sucks,” sparking outrage but also underscoring a truth at the time: Alabama ranked near the bottom nationally in fourth-grade math and reading scores.

Fast forward to Wednesday, when Gov. Kay Ivey touted Alabama’s jump from 52nd to 32nd in fourth-grade mathematics and from 49th to 34th in reading . She made her remarks during a speech hosted by the Mobile Chamber at the Battle House Renaissance Hotel in downtown Mobile.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment considering we ranked near the bottom five years before,” Ivey said.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results were first announced in February , but Mobile Chamber president and CEO Bradley Byrn

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