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| 2008 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 119. | Average reading scale score, by age and amount of time spent on reading and homework: Selected years, 1984 through 2004 |
| Time spent on reading and homework |
9-year-olds | 13-year-olds | 17-year-olds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | 1994 | 1996 | 1999 | 2004 | 1984 | 1994 | 1996 | 1999 | 2004 | 1984 | 1994 | 1996 | 1999 | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Average scale score | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Materials read a few times a year or more | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poems | 211 | (1.9) | 210 | (2.9) | 215 | (2.8) | 213 | (2.7) | — | (†) | 260 | (1.2) | 261 | (2.3) | 262 | (2.5) | 263 | (1.9) | — | (†) | 290 | (1.5) | 293 | (2.1) | 294 | (2.8) | 292 | (2.6) | — | (†) |
| Plays | 211 | (2.5) | 207 | (3.0) | 214 | (4.1) | 211 | (3.7) | — | (†) | 260 | (1.3) | 263 | (2.1) | 262 | (2.4) | 264 | (2.3) | — | (†) | 290 | (1.7) | 294 | (2.4) | 293 | (2.3) | 294 | (2.7) | — | (†) |
| Biographies | 213 | (2.4) | 210 | (3.4) | 220 | (3.2) | 215 | (3.0) | — | (†) | 261 | (1.3) | 261 | (2.1) | 262 | (2.3) | 263 | (2.1) | — | (†) | 292 | (1.4) | 293 | (2.4) | 293 | (2.3) | 291 | (2.8) | — | (†) |
| Science books | 212 | (1.6) | 211 | (2.6) | 214 | (2.0) | 213 | (2.1) | — | (†) | 259 | (1.2) | 260 | (2.1) | 261 | (2.2) | 261 | (1.7) | — | (†) | 289 | (1.4) | 293 | (2.4) | 290 | (2.2) | 291 | (2.3) | — | (†) |
| Books about other times | 211 | (1.7) | 211 | (2.6) | 213 | (2.3) | 213 | (2.5) | — | (†) | 259 | (1.1) | 260 | (2.2) | 262 | (2.2) | 262 | (2.1) | — | (†) | 289 | (1.4) | 293 | (2.3) | 292 | (2.8) | 292 | (2.0) | — | (†) |
| Frequency of reading for fun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daily | 214 | (1.1) | 215 | (2.3) | 213 | (2.0) | 215 | (2.4) | 220 | (1.5) | 264 | (1.4) | 272 | (3.2) | 269 | (3.3) | 272 | (3.2) | 271 | (2.8) | 297 | (1.5) | 302 | (4.2) | 302 | (5.2) | 301 | (4.9) | 305 | (3.7) |
| Weekly | 212 | (1.7) | 214 | (3.1) | 212 | (2.6) | 215 | (2.6) | 224 | (2.2) | 255 | (1.4) | 255 | (3.1) | 258 | (3.2) | 263 | (3.2) | 261 | (2.3) | 290 | (1.7) | 286 | (4.1) | 293 | (4.0) | 289 | (2.9) | 288 | (4.3) |
| Monthly | 204 | (3.3) | 213 | (5.8) | 210 | (5.0) | 211 | (4.2) | 216 | (4.6) | 255 | (2.1) | 255 | (5.7) | 259 | (4.6) | 260 | (3.7) | 256 | (3.9) | 290 | (1.8) | 286 | (4.5) | 290 | (5.6) | 286 | (4.8) | 287 | (4.7) |
| Yearly | 197 | (4.2) | — | (†) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 209 | (4.6) | 252 | (3.6) | 252 | (5.4) | — | (†) | 253 | (4.4) | ‡ | (†) | 279 | (2.7) | 281 | (8.2) | 285 | (5.6) | 283 | (4.4) | 272 | (5.0) |
| Never | 198 | (2.7) | 193 | (3.9) | 199 | (4.3) | 195 | (3.3) | 203 | (4.4) | 239 | (2.5) | 237 | (5.1) | 236 | (4.8) | 242 | (5.3) | 236 | (3.9) | 269 | (2.4) | 258 | (5.2) | 270 | (5.0) | 262 | (5.0) | 268 | (5.8) |
| Reading of books, newspapers, and magazines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yearly/monthly | 207 | (1.6) | 206 | (3.8) | 208 | (3.1) | 209 | (2.9) | — | (†) | 244 | (1.7) | 245 | (3.7) | 249 | (3.4) | 252 | (2.9) | — | (†) | 270 | (2.0) | 279 | (4.0) | 275 | (4.5) | 276 | (3.8) | — | (†) |
| Weekly | 219 | (2.5) | 216 | (3.7) | 221 | (4.7) | 220 | (3.5) | — | (†) | 261 | (1.6) | 262 | (2.6) | 262 | (3.0) | 261 | (3.3) | — | (†) | 288 | (1.5) | 295 | (2.8) | 294 | (3.2) | 292 | (2.2) | — | (†) |
| Daily | 211 | (3.8) | — | (†) | — | (†) | 214 | (6.3) | — | (†) | 269 | (2.2) | 275 | (3.9) | 270 | (3.4) | 271 | (4.0) | — | (†) | 299 | (1.9) | 296 | (4.0) | 295 | (4.8) | 299 | (6.5) | — | (†) |
| Time spent on homework | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| None | 212 | (0.9) | 213 | (2.0) | 210 | (1.9) | 210 | (1.9) | 217 | (2.0) | 254 | (1.0) | 250 | (1.7) | 254 | (1.3) | 251 | (2.0) | 248 | (1.7) | 276 | (0.8) | 273 | (2.3) | 274 | (1.9) | 275 | (2.3) | 270 | (2.0) |
| Didn't do assignment | 199 | (2.1) | 200 | (4.3) | 196 | (5.2) | 204 | (4.4) | 204 | (4.1) | 247 | (1.7) | 243 | (5.6) | 249 | (3.3) | 249 | (4.2) | 245 | (3.4) | 287 | (1.4) | 285 | (2.1) | 281 | (2.2) | 282 | (3.1) | 279 | (2.7) |
| Less than 1 hour | 217 | (0.8) | 212 | (1.4) | 215 | (1.0) | 214 | (1.5) | 221 | (1.0) | 261 | (0.6) | 261 | (1.3) | 258 | (1.6) | 262 | (1.2) | 261 | (1.2) | 290 | (0.9) | 288 | (1.6) | 289 | (1.5) | 291 | (2.3) | 287 | (1.6) |
| 1 to 2 hours | 216 | (1.4) | 214 | (3.0) | 219 | (2.1) | 215 | (3.2) | 221 | (2.3) | 267 | (0.8) | 268 | (1.7) | 266 | (1.6) | 269 | (1.6) | 268 | (1.6) | 296 | (0.8) | 297 | (1.7) | 296 | (2.1) | 296 | (2.0) | 295 | (1.7) |
| More than 2 hours | 201 | (1.9) | 193 | (6.1) | 199 | (4.5) | 197 | (3.5) | 207 | (3.2) | 265 | (1.2) | 270 | (2.4) | 268 | (2.3) | 269 | (3.0) | 272 | (2.0) | 303 | (1.4) | 306 | (3.1) | 307 | (3.4) | 300 | (2.8) | 304 | (2.4) |
| Percent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Materials read a few times a year or more | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Poems | 70 | (1.5) | 62 | (2.3) | 60 | (1.9) | 64 | (2.4) | — | (†) | 68 | (1.3) | 79 | (1.4) | 80 | (1.9) | 77 | (1.6) | — | (†) | 76 | (1.1) | 85 | (2.2) | 80 | (1.8) | 85 | (2.0) | — | (†) |
| Plays | 56 | (1.4) | 45 | (2.2) | 42 | (2.3) | 44 | (2.2) | — | (†) | 59 | (1.4) | 63 | (2.3) | 67 | (2.1) | 61 | (1.8) | — | (†) | 63 | (1.0) | 70 | (2.1) | 67 | (1.6) | 72 | (2.0) | — | (†) |
| Biographies | 45 | (1.5) | 47 | (2.1) | 46 | (2.4) | 49 | (3.0) | — | (†) | 62 | (1.3) | 68 | (1.7) | 65 | (2.6) | 72 | (2.1) | — | (†) | 59 | (1.2) | 69 | (1.8) | 66 | (1.7) | 70 | (1.9) | — | (†) |
| Science books | 84 | (1.3) | 87 | (1.8) | 83 | (2.2) | 80 | (1.6) | — | (†) | 90 | (1.1) | 92 | (1.4) | 90 | (1.9) | 89 | (1.2) | — | (†) | 70 | (1.1) | 84 | (1.9) | 82 | (2.0) | 84 | (1.3) | — | (†) |
| Books about other times | 79 | (1.2) | 79 | (2.0) | 78 | (1.6) | 79 | (1.9) | — | (†) | 83 | (1.1) | 83 | (1.8) | 84 | (1.8) | 84 | (1.3) | — | (†) | 81 | (0.9) | 82 | (2.0) | 81 | (1.9) | 81 | (2.0) | — | (†) |
| Frequency of reading for fun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) |
| Daily | 53 | (1.0) | 58 | (1.6) | 54 | (1.9) | 54 | (1.6) | 54 | (1.6) | 35 | (1.0) | 32 | (1.8) | 32 | (1.9) | 28 | (1.7) | 30 | (2.0) | 31 | (0.8) | 30 | (2.6) | 23 | (2.0) | 25 | (1.7) | 22 | (2.0) |
| Weekly | 28 | (0.8) | 25 | (1.5) | 27 | (1.8) | 26 | (1.5) | 26 | (1.2) | 35 | (1.2) | 32 | (2.1) | 31 | (2.1) | 36 | (1.7) | 34 | (1.9) | 33 | (1.1) | 31 | (1.9) | 32 | (2.7) | 28 | (2.7) | 30 | (1.9) |
| Monthly | 7 | (0.6) | 5 | (0.6) | 8 | (1.0) | 6 | (0.6) | 7 | (0.5) | 14 | (0.8) | 14 | (1.7) | 15 | (1.4) | 17 | (1.6) | 15 | (1.2) | 17 | (0.5) | 15 | (1.5) | 17 | (1.5) | 19 | (1.7) | 15 | (1.6) |
| Yearly | 3 | (0.3) | 3 | (0.6) | 3 | (0.5) | 4 | (0.7) | 5 | (0.7) | 7 | (0.5) | 10 | (1.2) | 9 | (1.2) | 10 | (1.2) | 9 | (1.1) | 10 | (0.5) | 12 | (1.5) | 12 | (1.6) | 12 | (1.4) | 14 | (1.5) |
| Never | 9 | (0.5) | 9 | (0.8) | 8 | (0.8) | 10 | (0.8) | 8 | (0.8) | 8 | (0.6) | 12 | (1.7) | 13 | (1.5) | 9 | (1.4) | 13 | (1.3) | 9 | (0.6) | 12 | (1.4) | 16 | (2.1) | 16 | (2.4) | 19 | (1.8) |
| Reading of books, newspapers, and magazines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | — | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | — | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | — | (†) |
| Yearly/monthly | 59 | (1.5) | 64 | (1.8) | 67 | (2.3) | 63 | (2.6) | — | (†) | 30 | (1.5) | 34 | (2.5) | 32 | (2.6) | 32 | (2.3) | — | (†) | 20 | (1.0) | 22 | (1.7) | 25 | (2.1) | 26 | (2.1) | — | (†) |
| Weekly | 31 | (1.5) | 27 | (1.8) | 22 | (1.9) | 27 | (2.4) | — | (†) | 49 | (1.1) | 47 | (2.5) | 47 | (2.2) | 49 | (2.2) | — | (†) | 53 | (1.2) | 55 | (2.3) | 52 | (2.6) | 52 | (2.2) | — | (†) |
| Daily | 11 | (0.9) | 9 | (1.3) | 10 | (1.2) | 11 | (1.2) | — | (†) | 21 | (1.1) | 19 | (1.7) | 21 | (1.7) | 19 | (1.9) | — | (†) | 27 | (1.3) | 23 | (1.8) | 23 | (1.9) | 21 | (2.1) | — | (†) |
| Time spent on homework | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) | 100 | (†) |
| None | 35 | (1.3) | 32 | (2.1) | 26 | (1.6) | 26 | (1.6) | 21 | (1.5) | 22 | (0.7) | 23 | (1.4) | 22 | (1.8) | 24 | (1.2) | 20 | (1.3) | 22 | (0.9) | 23 | (1.4) | 23 | (1.4) | 26 | (1.0) | 26 | (1.0) |
| Didn't do assignment | 4 | (0.3) | 4 | (0.4) | 4 | (0.3) | 4 | (0.3) | 3 | (0.3) | 4 | (0.2) | 6 | (0.6) | 5 | (0.5) | 5 | (0.4) | 6 | (0.4) | 11 | (0.3) | 11 | (0.6) | 13 | (0.6) | 13 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.6) |
| Less than 1 hour | 41 | (1.0) | 48 | (1.7) | 53 | (1.5) | 53 | (1.4) | 59 | (1.4) | 36 | (0.6) | 34 | (1.0) | 37 | (1.2) | 37 | (1.4) | 40 | (1.2) | 26 | (0.4) | 27 | (0.9) | 28 | (0.9) | 26 | (1.0) | 28 | (0.7) |
| 1 to 2 hours | 13 | (0.4) | 11 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.7) | 12 | (0.7) | 13 | (0.6) | 29 | (0.5) | 28 | (1.0) | 27 | (1.2) | 26 | (1.0) | 26 | (1.0) | 27 | (0.5) | 26 | (1.2) | 24 | (1.0) | 23 | (0.8) | 22 | (0.9) |
| More than 2 hours | 6 | (0.2) | 4 | (0.4) | 4 | (0.3) | 5 | (0.5) | 5 | (0.3) | 9 | (0.3) | 9 | (0.7) | 8 | (0.9) | 8 | (0.8) | 8 | (0.5) | 13 | (0.6) | 13 | (0.9) | 11 | (0.7) | 12 | (0.9) | 11 | (0.6) |
|
— Not available. † Not applicable. ‡ Reporting standards not met. NOTE: The NAEP reading scores have been evaluated at certain performance levels. Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Students scoring 150 (or higher) are able to follow brief written directions and carry out simple, discrete reading tasks. Students scoring 200 are able to understand, combine ideas, and make inferences based on short uncomplicated passages about specific or sequentially related information. Students scoring 250 are able to search for specific information, interrelate ideas, and make generalizations about literature, science, and social studies materials. Students scoring 300 are able to find, understand, summarize, and explain relatively complicated literary and informational material. 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. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NAEP Trends in Academic Progress, 1996 and 1999; and NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/), retrieved July 2005. (This table was prepared February 2006.) |
