Question:
How are American students performing in reading?
Response:
The main National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports current reading assessment information for the nation and specific geographic regions of the country. The assessment program includes students drawn from both public and nonpublic schools and reports results for student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12.
The main NAEP assessment data were first collected in 1992 and are reported on a scale of 0 to 500. From 2009 to 2011, there were no measurable changes in average reading scores for 4th-grade males and females or for 4th-grade students from any of the five racial/ethnic groups with scores reported in both assessment years. From 1992 to 2011, male 4th-graders' average reading scores increased from 213 to 218 and female 4th-graders' scores increased from 221 to 225. The 2011 average NAEP reading scale score for 8th-graders was 1 point higher than the 2009 score and 5 points higher than the 1992 score. For 12th-graders, the 2009 average reading score was 4 points lower than the score in 1992 but 2 points higher than the score in 2005 (12th-graders were not assessed in 2007 or 2011).
The 2011 main NAEP reading assessment of states found that the average reading proficiency of public school 4th- and 8th-graders varied across participating jurisdictions (the 50 states, the Department of Defense overseas and domestic schools, and the District of Columbia). For 4th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 220, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 201 in the District of Columbia to 237 in Massachusetts. For 8th-graders in public schools, the U.S. average score was 264, with average scores in participating jurisdictions ranging from 242 in the District of Columbia to 275 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Chapter 2.
Average reading scale score of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders, by sex and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1992 through 2011 | Selected student characteristic | 19921 | 19941 | 1998 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2009 | 2011 |
4th-graders, all students | ||||||||||
Total | 217 | 214 | 215 | 213 | 219 | 218 | 219 | 221 | 221 | 221 |
Sex | ||||||||||
Male | 213 | 209 | 212 | 208 | 215 | 215 | 216 | 218 | 218 | 218 |
Female | 221 | 220 | 217 | 219 | 222 | 222 | 222 | 224 | 224 | 225 |
Race/ethnicity | ||||||||||
White | 224 | 224 | 225 | 224 | 229 | 229 | 229 | 231 | 230 | 231 |
Black | 192 | 185 | 193 | 190 | 199 | 198 | 200 | 203 | 205 | 205 |
Hispanic | 197 | 188 | 193 | 190 | 201 | 200 | 203 | 205 | 205 | 206 |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 216 | 220 | 215 | 225 | 224 | 226 | 229 | 232 | 235 | 235 |
Asian | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 236 |
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 216 |
American Indian/Alaska Native | ‡ | 211 | ‡ | 214 | 207 | 202 | 204 | 203 | 204 | 202 |
8th-graders, all students | ||||||||||
Total | 260 | 260 | 263 | — | 264 | 263 | 262 | 263 | 264 | 265 |
Sex | Male | 254 | 252 | 256 | — | 260 | 258 | 257 | 258 | 259 | 261 |
Female | 267 | 267 | 270 | — | 269 | 269 | 267 | 268 | 269 | 270 |
Race/ethnicity | ||||||||||
White | 267 | 267 | 270 | — | 272 | 272 | 271 | 272 | 273 | 274 |
Black | 237 | 236 | 244 | — | 245 | 244 | 243 | 245 | 246 | 249 |
Hispanic | 241 | 243 | 243 | — | 247 | 245 | 246 | 247 | 249 | 252 |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 268 | 265 | 264 | — | 267 | 270 | 271 | 271 | 274 | 275 |
Asian | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 277 |
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 254 |
American Indian/Alaska Native | ‡ | 248 | ‡ | — | 250 | 246 | 249 | 247 | 251 | 252 |
12th-graders, all students | ||||||||||
Total | 292 | 287 | 290 | — | 287 | — | 286 | — | 288 | — |
Sex | Male | 287 | 280 | 282 | — | 279 | — | 279 | — | 282 | — |
Female | 297 | 294 | 298 | — | 295 | — | 292 | — | 294 | — |
Race/ethnicity | ||||||||||
White | 297 | 293 | 297 | — | 292 | — | 293 | — | 296 | — |
Black | 273 | 265 | 269 | — | 267 | — | 267 | — | 269 | — |
Hispanic | 279 | 270 | 275 | — | 273 | — | 272 | — | 274 | — |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 290 | 278 | 287 | — | 286 | — | 287 | — | 298 | — |
American Indian/Alaska Native | ‡ | 274 | ‡ | — | ‡ | — | 279 | — | 283 | — |
‡ Reporting standards not met.
1 Accommodations were not permitted for this assessment.
NOTE: Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Includes public and private schools. Excludes persons not enrolled in school and those who were unable to be tested due to limited proficiency in English or due to a disability. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Table 126 and Table 127 .
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