Revised April 2010 Errata Notice
Author: National Center for Education Statistics
Download The Nation's Report Card: Trial Urban District Assessment Mathematics 2009 PDF for viewing and printing (11869K PDF)
Scores for most districts higher than in 2003, but few make gains since 2007
Five districts score above large cities at both grades in 2009
A Closer Look at District Results Compared to Large Cities
Demographics vary among the nation, large cities, and individual urban districts
Representative samples of fourth- and eighth-grade public school students from 18 urban districts participated in the 2009 assessment. Eleven of the districts also participated in earlier assessment years, and seven districts participated for the first time in 2009. Between 1,800 and 4,300 fourth- and eighth-graders were assessed in each district.
In comparison to 2007, average mathematics scores for students in large cities increased in 2009 at both grades 4 and 8; however, only two participating districts at each grade showed gains. Scores were higher in 2009 for Boston and the District of Columbia at grade 4, and for Austin and San Diego at grade 8. No districts showed a decline in scores at either grade.
In comparison to 2003, scores for students in large cities were higher in 2009 at both grades 4 and 8. Increases in scores were also seen across most urban districts that participated in both years, except in Charlotte at grade 4 and in Cleveland at grades 4 and 8, where there were no significant changes.
| District | Grade 4 | Grade 8 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2003 |
Since 2007 |
Since 2003 |
Since 2007 |
|
Nation |
5* |
# |
6* |
2* |
Large city |
7* |
2* |
9* |
3* |
Atlanta |
10* |
2 |
15* |
3 |
Austin |
— |
# |
— |
5* |
Boston |
16* |
3* |
18* |
3 |
Charlotte |
3 |
1 |
4* |
# |
Chicago |
8* |
2 |
9* |
3 |
Cleveland |
–1 |
–2 |
3 |
–1 |
District of Columbia (DCPS) |
15* |
6* |
8* |
3 |
Houston |
9* |
2 |
13* |
3 |
Los Angeles |
6* |
1 |
13* |
1 |
New York City |
11* |
1 |
7* |
3 |
San Diego |
10* |
2 |
16* |
8* |
— District did not participate in 2003.
# Rounds to zero.
* Significant (p < .05) score change.
NOTE: Large city results are representative of all large cities in the nation and not just the participating urban districts. Beginning in 2009, if the results for charter schools are not included in the school district’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report to the U.S. Department of Education under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, they are excluded from that district’s TUDA results. DCPS = District of Columbia Public Schools.
Differences in overall average scores between participating districts and large cities were not always consistent across student groups. In Atlanta, for example, the overall average mathematics score was lower than the score for large cities at both grades. However, the score for Black students in the district (who comprise most of the student population) was not significantly different from the score for Black students in large cities at either grade.
Among the 10 districts where average scores at both grades were lower than the score for large cities, only Cleveland had lower scores for White, Black, and Hispanic students, and for students eligible for school lunch (an indicator of lower family income) in both grades.
Among the five districts where overall scores were higher than the score for large cities at both grades 4 and 8, only Charlotte and Houston also had higher scores for White, Black, and Hispanic students and for lower-income students in both grades.
| District | Grade 4 Student Groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
Eligible for school lunch |
|
Atlanta |
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Austin |
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Baltimore City |
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Boston |
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Charlotte |
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Chicago |
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Cleveland |
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Detroit |
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District of Columbia (DCPS) |
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Fresno |
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Houston |
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Jefferson County (KY) |
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Los Angeles |
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Miami-Dade |
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Milwaukee |
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New York City |
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Philadelphia |
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San Diego |
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| District | Grade 8 Student Groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall |
White |
Black |
Hispanic |
Eligible for school lunch |
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Atlanta |
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Austin |
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Baltimore City |
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Boston |
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Charlotte |
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Chicago |
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Cleveland |
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Detroit |
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District of Columbia (DCPS) |
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Fresno |
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Houston |
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Jefferson County (KY) |
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Los Angeles |
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Miami-Dade |
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Milwaukee |
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New York City |
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Philadelphia |
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San Diego |
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Higher average score than large city.
Lower average score than large city.
No significant difference between the district and large city.
Reporting standards not met. Sample size insuffcient to permit a reliabel estimate.
DCPS = District of Columbia Public Schools.
When comparing the results for urban districts to results for the nation and large cities, it is important to consider how the demographics of the jurisdictions are different. Nationally, the percentages of White students at both grades 4 and 8 were higher than the combined percentages of Black and Hispanic students in 2009, while the opposite was true for large cities and for most participating urban districts. Large cities and participating urban districts also differed from the nation in the proportion of students eligible for the National School Lunch Program. While the percentages of students eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch in the nation were 48 percent at grade 4 and 43 percent at grade 8, the percentages of eligible students in the districts ranged from 46 to 100 percent in 2009. More detailed information about the demographic characteristics of fourth- and eighth-graders in the nation, large cities, and participating districts is included in the report. |
Download the complete report in a PDF file for viewing and printing:
The Nation's Report Card: Trial Urban District Assessment Mathematics 2009 report PDF (11869K PDF)
NCES 2010-452rev Ordering information
Suggested Citation
National Center for Education Statistics (2009). The Nation's Report Card: Trial Urban District Assessment Mathematics 2009 (NCES 2010–452rev). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.
For more information, see the results of the 2009 Mathematics Trial Urban District assessment on the Nation's Report Card website.
