The New York Times reports average arts skills for American eighth-graders. A survey conducted last year in conjunction with a nationwide test of music and arts achievement by the federal Department of Education called student achievement in those areas “mediocre.” 260 public and private school administrators were asked about instruction time apportioned to music and art, and 7,900 eighth-grade students were assessed on their knowledge of art and music. Sixteen percent of students tested said that had visited an art museum, gallery, or exhibit in the last year with their class. The percentage was down from twenty-two percent in 1997. Ellen Weiser, a classical pianist who helps oversee the test as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, said “unfortunately,” the results “do not provide a good sense of the level of student achievement,” although “about half of eighth graders could identify a Renaissance painting… A little more than half could identify a half note. While these results are mediocre, not dire, they are disturbing signs for this musician.”