|
A project of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has conducted regularly administered assessments in a variety of subject areas to nationally representative samples of students since 1969. NAEP has two main assessment programs, the long-term trend and the main national assessment.
The long-term trend assessments have remained substantially the same since their first administration and have the objective of measuring students' performance over time. Student performance at ages 9, 13, and 17 is summarized on a 0-500 scale for each subject area. Trends in students' achievement are determined by examining and comparing the average scale scores attained by students over the assessment years and in terms of the percentage of students attaining specific levels of performance, which correspond to five points on the reading scale.
The main national assessments are periodically revised or updated to reflect current educational content and assessment methodology. Students' performance at grades 4, 8, and 12 is described in terms of average scores on a 0-500 scale, and in terms of the percentage of students attaining three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced.
It is not possible to compare results from the main national assessment with the long-term trend assessment.
NAEP Long-Term Reading Assessment Levels
Level 150 - readers can follow brief written directions, select words, phrases, or sentences to describe a simple picture, and interpret simple written clues to identify a common object.
Level 200 - readers can locate and identify facts from simple informational paragraphs, stories, and news articles.
Level 250 - readers can search for, locate, and organize the information they find in relatively lengthy passages and recognize paraphrases of what they have read.
Level 300 - readers can understand complicated literary and informational passages, including material about topics they study at school.
Level 350 - readers can extend and restructure the ideas presented in specialized and complex texts.
Reading Scores
The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:
- Average reading scores for 9 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980 there has been no further improvement in scores; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
- Average reading scores for 13 year olds increased during the 1970s. Since 1980 scores have fluctuated; however, the average score in 1999 was higher than in 1971.
- Average reading scores for 17 year olds from 1984 to 1992 were higher than in 1971. A slight increase in average scores between 1971 and 1999 was not statistically significant.
(Campbell, px)
The average reading score of 9 year olds was:
- 212 in 1999,
- 212 in 1996,
- 211 in 1994, and
- 211 in 1992.
The average reading score of 13 year olds was:
- 259 in 1999,
- 258 in 1996,
- 258 in 1994, and
- 260 in 1992.
The average reading score of 17 year olds was:
The 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term reading assessment found that:
- 93% of 9 year olds were at or above performance reading level 150,
- 64% were at or above reading level 200, and
- 16% were at or above reading level 250.
- 93% of 13 year olds were at or above performance reading level 200,
- 61% were at or above reading level 250, and
- 15% were at or above reading level 300.
- 82% of 17 year olds were at or above performance reading level 250,
- 40% were at or above reading level 300, and
- 6% were at or above reading level 350.
(Campbell, p21, Figure 1.5)
In 1999, the average reading score of male students age 9 was 209; the average reading scale score of female students was 215.
In 1999, the average reading score of male students age 13 was 254; the average reading scale score of female students was 265.
In 1999, the average reading score of male students age 17 was 281; the average reading scale score of female students was 295.
(Campbell, p41, Fig. 2.6)
In 1999, the average reading score of:
- White students age 9 was 221,
- Black students age 9 was 186, and
- Hispanic students age 9 was 193.
- White students age 13 was 267,
- Black students age 13 was 238, and
- Hispanic students age 13 was 244.
- White students age 17 was 295,
- Black students age 17 was 264, and
- Hispanic students age 17 was 271.
(Campbell, p33, Fig. 2.1)
The ability to read and understand complicated information is important to success in college and, increasingly in the workplace. An analysis of the NAEP long-term trend reading assessments reveals that only half of all White 17 year olds, less than one-quarter of Latino 17 year olds, and less than one-fifth of African American 17 year olds can read at this level.
By age 17, only about 1 in seventeen 17 year olds can read and gain information from specialized text, for example the science section in the local newspaper. This includes:
- 1 in 12 White 17 year olds,
- 1 in 50 Latino 17 year olds, and
- 1 in 100 African American 17 year olds.
(Haycock, p5)
In 1999, the average reading score of 9 year olds in public school was 210, compared to 226 for 9 year olds in nonpublic school.
In 1999, the average reading score of 13 year olds in public school was 257, compared to 276 for 13 year olds in nonpublic school.
In 1999, the average reading score of 17 year olds in public school was 286, compared to 307 for 17 year olds in nonpublic school.
(Campbell, p53, Fig. 2.13)
Reading Habits
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1999 long-term reading assessment of 9 year olds found the following average reading scores:
- 200 for students who had 0-2 different types of reading material at home (43% of students),
- 218 for students who had three types (30% of students), and
- 224 for students who had four types (26% of students).
(Campbell, p75, Fig. 3.23 & 3.24)
- 195 for students who never read for fun (10% of students),
- n/a for students who read for fun yearly (4% of students),
- 211 for students who read for fun monthly (6% of students),
- 215 for students who read for fun weekly (26% of students), and
- 215 for students who read for fun daily (54% of students).
(Campbell, p76, Fig. 3.25 & 3.26)
- 197 for students who spent more than two hours on homework (5% of students),
- 215 for students who spent 1-2 hours on homework (12% of students),
- 214 for students who spent less than 1 hour on homework (53% of students),
- 204 for students who didn't do the assigned homework (4% of students) and
- 210 for students who didn't have any homework assigned (26% of students).
(Campbell, p72, Fig. 3.17)
- 217 for students who read more than 20 pages a day in school and for home work (19% of students),
- 214 for students who read 16 to 20 pages (14% of students),
- 221 for students who read 11 to 15 pages (15% of students),
- 212 for students who read 6 to 10 pages (24% of students), and
- 202 for students who read 5 or fewer pages (28% of students).
(Campbell, p73, Fig. 3.19 & 3.20)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1999 long-term reading assessment of 13 year olds found the following average reading scores:
- 241 for those who saw adults reading at home monthly, yearly, or never (21% of students),
- 259 for those who saw adults reading weekly (39% of students), and
- 264 for those who saw adults reading daily (39% of students).
(Campbell, p77, Figure 3.27 & 3.28)
- 240 for students who had 0-2 different types of reading material at home (21% of students),
- 257 for students who had three types (32% of students), and
- 270 for students who had four types (46% of students).
(Campbell, p75, Figure 3.23 & 3.24)
- 242 for students who never read for fun (9% of students),
- 253 for students who read for fun yearly (10% of students),
- 260 for students who read for fun monthly (17% of students),
- 263 for students who read for fun weekly (36% of students), and
- 272 for students who read for fun daily (28% of students).
(Campbell, p76, Figure 3.25 & 3.26)
- 269 for students who spent more than two hours on homework (8% of students),
- 269 for students who spent 1-2 hours on homework (26% of students),
- 262 for students who spent less than 1 hour on homework (37% of students),
- 249 for students who didn't do the assigned homework (5% of students), and
- 251 for students who didn't have any homework assigned (24% of students).
(Campbell, p72, Fig. 3.17)
- 265 for students who read more than 20 pages a day in school and for home work (16% of students),
- 264 for students who read 16 to 20 pages (13% of students),
- 263 for students who read 11 to 15 pages (18% of students),
- 262 for students who read 6 to 10 pages (31% of students), and
- 249 for students who read 5 or fewer pages (23% of students).
(Campbell, p73, Fig. 3.19 & 3.20)
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1999 long-term reading assessment of 17 year olds found the following average reading scores:
- 265 for students who saw adults reading at home monthly, yearly, or never (18% of students),
- 292 for students who saw adults reading weekly (48% of students), and
- 295 for students who saw adults reading daily (34% of students).
(Campbell, p77, Figure 3.27 & 3.28)
- 267 for students who had 0-2 different types of reading material at home (19% of students),
- 285 for students who had three types (30% of students), and
- 297 for students who had four types (52% of students).
(Campbell, p75, Figure 3.23 & 3.24)
- 262 for students who never read for fun (16% of students),
- 283 for students who read for fun yearly (12% of students),
- 286 for students who read for fun monthly (19% of students),
- 289 for students who read for fun weekly (28% of students), and
- 301 for students who read for fun daily (25% of students).
(Campbell, p76, Figure 3.25 & 3.26)
- 300 for students who spent more than two hours on homework (12% of students),
- 296 for students who spent 1-2 hours on homework (23% of students),
- 291 for students who spent less than 1 hour on homework (26% of students),
- 282 for students who didn't do the assigned homework (13% of students), and
- 275 for students who didn't have any homework assigned (26% of students).
(Campbell, p72, Fig. 3.17)
- 302 for students who read more than 20 pages a day in school and for home work (22% of students),
- 292 for students who read 16 to 20 pages (14% of students),
- 292 for students who read 11 to 15 pages (17% of students),
- 285 for students who read 6 to 10 pages (24% of students), and
- 273 for students who read 5 or fewer pages (24% of students).
(Campbell, p73, Fig. 3.19 & 3.20)
A comparison of 3 decades of long-term reading assessments found that:
- The number of different types of reading material in the home has decreased at all three ages between 1971 and 1999.
- A smaller percentage of 13 and 17 year olds read for fun daily in 1999 than in 1984. There was no significant change in the frequency of reading for fun among 9 year olds.
- A smaller percentage of 17 year olds saw adults reading in their homes in 1999 than in 1984.
- A greater percentage of 17 year olds were watching 3 or more hours of television each day in 1999 than in 1978. A smaller percentage of 9 and 13 year olds were watching 6 or more hours of television each day in 1999 than in 1978.
(Campbell, pxviii)
Children's Reading Proficiency and Their Parents' Educational Level
The 1999 long-term reading assessment found that the average reading scale scores of 9 year olds was:
- 199 for those whose parents' highest level of education was less than high school,
- 206 for those whose parents had graduated from high school,
- 220 for those whose parents had some education after high school, and
- 205 for those who did not know their parents' highest level of education.
The same study found that the average reading scale scores of 13 year olds was:
- 238 for those whose parents' highest level of education was less than high school,
- 251 for those whose parents had graduated from high school,
- 270 for those whose parents had some education after high school, and
- 237 for those who did not know their parents' highest level of education.
The same study found that the average reading scale scores of 17 year olds was:
- 265 for those whose parents' highest level of education was less than high school,
- 274 for those whose parents had graduated from high school,
- 297 for those whose parents had some education after high school, and
- 253 for those who did not know their parents' highest level of education.
(Campbell, p46, Figure 2.10)
NAEP National Assessment Reading Achievement Levels
When reading text appropriate for fourth-graders at the:
Basic level (up to 208) - readers should demonstrate an understanding of the overall meaning of what they read.
Proficient level (209-238) - readers should demonstrate an overall understanding of the text, providing inferential as well as literal information.
Advanced level (239-268) - readers should be able to generalize about topics in the reading selection and demonstrate an awareness of how authors compose and use literary devices.
Reading Scores
In the National Assessment of Educational Programs (NAEP) 2000 national assessment of fourth-graders' reading ability:
- 37% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 31% were within the Basic level,
- 24% were within the Proficient level, and
- 8% were within the Advanced level.
(Donahue, p15, Figure 1.4)
The average fourth-grade reading score was:
The average fourth-grade reading score of female students was:
- 222 in 2000,
- 220 in 1998,
- 220 in 1994, and
- 221 in 1992.
The average fourth-grade reading score of male students was:
In 2000, of male fourth-grade students:
- 42% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 31% were within the Basic level range,
- 21% were within the Proficient level range; and
- 6% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p27, Fig. 2.2)
In 2000, of female fourth-grade students:
- 33% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 31% were within the Basic level range,
- 26% were within the Proficient level range; and
- 10% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p28, Fig. 2.2)
In 2000, the average reading score of:
- White fourth-grade students was 226,
- Black students - 193,
- Hispanic students - 197,
- Asian/Pacific Islander students - 232, and
- American Indian students -196.
(Donahue, p29, Fig. 2.3)
In 2000, of White fourth-grade students:
- 27% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 33% were within the Basic level range,
- 29% were within the Proficient level range; and
- 11% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p30, Fig. 2.4)
In 2000, of Hispanic fourth-grade students:
- 58% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 26% were within the Basic level range,
- 13% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 3% were within the Advanced level range.
In 2000, of Black fourth-grade students:
- 63% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 25% were within the Basic level range,
- 10% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 2% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p31, Fig. 2.4)
In 2000, of Asian/Pacific Islander fourth-grade students:
- 22% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 32% were within the Basic level range,
- 29% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 17% were within the Advanced level range.
In 2000, of American Indian fourth-grade students:
- 57% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 26% were within the Basic level range,
- 16% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 2% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p32, Fig. 2.4)
In 2000, of fourth-grade students in central city schools:
- 47% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 27% were within the Basic level range,
- 20% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 6% were within the Advanced level range.
In 2000, of fourth-grade students in urban fringe/large town schools:
- 32% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 32% were within the Basic level range,
- 26% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 10% were within the Advanced level range.
In 2000, of fourth-grade students in rural/small town schools:
- 35% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 33% were within the Basic level range,
- 25% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 8% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p38, Fig. 2.8)
In 2000, of fourth-grade students who were eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch programs:
- 60% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 26% were within the Basic level range,
- 12% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 2% were within the Advanced level range.
In 2000, of fourth-grade students who were not eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch programs:
- 26% were below the reading achievement Basic level,
- 34% were within the Basic level range,
- 30% were within the Proficient level range, and
- 11% were within the Advanced level range.
(Donahue, p40, Fig. 2.10)
Reading Habits
The NAEP 2000 national reading assessment of fourth-grade students found the following average reading scores:
- 221 for students that discussed their studies almost every day at home (54% of students),
- 219 for students that discussed their studies once or twice a week (23% of students),
- 217 for students that discussed their studies once or twice a month (6% of students), and
- 201 for students that never or hardly ever discussed their studies at home (17% of students).
- 213 for students that talked about reading with family or friends almost every day (27% of students),
- 227 for students that talked about reading once or twice a week (34% of students),
- 220 for students that talked about reading once or twice a month (15% of students), and
- 209 for students that never or hardly ever talked about reading (24% of students).
(Donahue, p57, Table 3.6)
- 229 for students that had four or more different types of reading materials at home (34% of students),
- 219 for students that had three or more types of reading material (34% of students), and
- 203 for students that had two or fewer types of reading material at home (32% of students).
(Donahue, p59, Table 3.7)
- 196 for students who reported watching six hours or more of television each day (18% of students),
- 213 for students who watched 4 or 5 hours a day (17% of students),
- 224 for students who watched 2 or 3 hours a day (40% of students), and
- 224 for students who watched 1 hour or less (25% of students).
(Donahue, p61, Table 3.8)
- 223 for students that reported reading for fun on their own time every day (43% of students),
- 218 for students who read for fun once or twice a week (32% of students),
- 216 for students who read for fun once or twice a month (12% of students), and
- 202 for students who never or hardly ever read for fun (14% of students).
(Donahue, p55, Table 3.5)
|
|
Institute Home