Fourth- and Eighth-grade Mathematics and Eighth-grade Reading Scores Decline Compared to 2013; Fourth-grade Reading Score is Unchanged
& Video: Peggy Carr, Acting Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and Terry Mazany, Chairman, National Assessment Governing Board
(Washington, D.C., Wednesday, October 28, 2015) – Average fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics scores and the average eighth-grade reading score declined between 2013 and 2015, according to The Nation’s Report Card released today. The average fourth-grade reading score was unchanged over the two-year period. In both grades, national mathematics and reading scores in 2015 are higher than those from the first assessments in the early 1990s.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—also known as The Nation’s Report Card—is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in the United States know and can do in various subject areas. NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It is frequently referred to as the ‘gold standard’ of student assessments.
National Results
In fourth-grade mathematics, the average scale score in 2015 was 240, a decline of one point from 2013. In eighth-grade mathematics, the average scale score in 2015 was 282, a decline of two points from 2013. The NAEP scale ranges from 0 to 500.
The average reading score was statistically unchanged from 2013 for fourth-grade students. In 2015, the average eighth-grade reading score was 265, a decline of two points from 2013.
The Nation’s Report Card also reports data by different demographic groups, such as Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native. None of the achievement gaps between White students and students in any of the other groups changed by a statistically significant margin from 2013 and 2015.
Although national results showed decreases in mathematics and grade 8 reading, the achievement of children in cities had no statistically significant changes since 2013 in either subject or either grade level.
Student performance on NAEP is also reported by achievement levels. There are three NAEP achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Proficient on the NAEP scale represents competency over challenging subject matter.
Visit http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/ to view the report.