The average reading and mathematics scores on the long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress were higher in 2004 than in the early 1970s for 9- and 13-year-olds.

The long-term trend National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has provided information on the reading and mathematics achievement of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds in the United States since the early 1970s and is used as a measure of progress over time. These results may differ from the main NAEP results presented in indicators 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 as the content of the long-term trend assessment has remained consistent over time, while the main NAEP undergoes changes periodically (see supplemental note 4).

NAEP long-term trend results indicate that the reading and mathematics achievement of 9- and 13-year-olds improved between the early 1970s and 2004. In reading, 9-year-olds scored higher in 2004 than in any previous assessment year, with an increase of 7 points between 1999 and 2004. The 2004 average score for 13-year-olds was not measurably different from the 1999 average score, but still was higher than the scores in 1971 and 1975. In mathematics, the achievement of 9- and 13-year-olds in 2004 was the highest of any assessment year. The performance of 17-year-olds on the 2004 reading and mathematics assessments, however, was not measurably different from their performance on either the first reading and mathematics assessments (in 1971 and 1973, respectively) or the 1999 reading and mathematics assessments.

The performance of subgroups of students generally mirrored the overall national patterns; however, there were some notable differences. The average reading and mathematics scores of Black and Hispanic 9-year-olds in 2004 were the highest of any assessment year (see tables 17-1 and 17-2). For Black 13-year-olds, reading and mathematics scores were higher in 2004 than the scores in the early 1970s, and the 2004 mathematics score was higher than in any previous assessment year. For Hispanic 13-year-olds, mathematics scores were higher in 2004 than in any previous assessment year. In contrast to the overall national results, the average scores of Black and Hispanic 17-year-olds were higher in 2004 than in the early 1970s. Black 17-year-olds improved 25 points in reading between 1971 and 2004, and 15 points in mathematics between 1973 and 2004 on a 0–500 point scale. Hispanic 17-year-olds improved 12 points in reading between 1975 (the first year the reading achievement of Hispanics was specifically measured) and 2004, and 12 points in mathematics between 1973 and 2004.