The performance of 4th- and 8th-graders in U.S. history improved from 1994 to 2001. Eighteen percent of 4th-graders, 17 percent of 8th-graders, and 11 percent of 12th-graders performed at or above the Proficient level in 2001.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessed the performance of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders in U.S. history in 1994 and 2001. Average scale scores increased for 4th- and 8th-graders from 1994 to 2001; there was no significant change in the scale score of 12th-graders (see table 14-1).

NAEP also provides achievement levels indicating what students should know and be able to do in each grade. In 2001, 18 percent of 4th-graders, 17 percent of 8th-graders, and 11 percent of 12th-graders performed at or above the Proficient level, which is defined as "solid academic performance for each grade assessed." The percentage of 4th-graders performing at or above the Basic level was higher in 2001 than in 1994. At grade 8, the percentages of students at or above the Basic level, at or above the Proficient level, and at the Advanced level were higher in 2001 than in 1994. At grade 12, no significant differences were detected in the percentages of students performing at each level.

Scores at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles reveal changes in scale scores for lower- and higher-performing students. At grade 4, scale scores at the 10th and 25th percentiles were higher in 2001 than in 1994. There were increases from 1994 to 2001 in the average 8th-grade scores among the lower and upper percentiles (25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles). There were no significant changes in 12th-grade scores by percentile between the 2 years.

In 2001, student performance differed among subgroups. At all three grades, White students on average had higher scores than Black, Hispanic, and American Indian students, and Asian/Pacific Islander students had higher average scores than Black and Hispanic students. At grade 4, Whites had higher average scores than Asians/Pacific Islanders. There were no differences detected in the scores of males and females at all three grades. Students in lower poverty schools generally outperformed students in higher poverty schools, as measured by the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at all three grades. In addition, in grades 8 and 12, students whose parents had higher levels of education scored higher than their peers whose parents had less education (see table 14-2).