Introduction: 2004 Long-Term Trend Summary Data Tables

These data tables present long-term trend results in mathematics and reading from the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

In 2004, NAEP examined long-term trends in the ability of nationally representative samples of students at ages 9, 13, and 17 in mathematics and reading. In each subject area, the same sets of questions and tasks used in previous trend assessments were administered again using procedures replicated from previous assessments. In 2002, the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) determined that technical studies are required to enable necessary changes to the design and revisions to the item pool in order to maintain the trend line for the science long-term trend assessment. For that reason, science was not assessed in the 2003–2004 school year. For technical reasons, the Board discontinued the long-term trend in writing in 1999. For more information, see the NAGB policy (116K Microsoft Word document).

Three types of data are provided.

Performance Data: These data include percentage of students, mean scores, and performance- level results for students in reporting group categories, such as student gender, race/ethnicity, and parental education level. (For more information on each group category, see the summary data table help section.)

Contextual Information: Students answered a series of questions about demographic information, their home environment, and their experiences and instruction in the particular subject area being assessed. The long-term trend summary data tables are based on responses to these questions.

Percentile Data: These data provide a useful comparison across the performance range of students assessed. A percentile represents a score location below which a specified percentage of the population falls. For example, in 2004, the tenth percentile of reading scores for students at age 9 was 169. This means that in 2004, 10 percent of students at age 9 had NAEP reading scores below 169, while 90 percent scored at or above 169.

These summary data tables are presented in HTML format for viewing and printing through your web browser. In addition, all tables can be directly copied and pasted in Microsoft Office products for conversion to most other software package. Copying data from summary data tables into Microsoft Excel will provide full precision of the numbers.

For questions about the content of the NAEP summary data tables, please see the help section or contact Sherran Osborne at sherran.osborne@ed.gov.

View the long-term trend summary data tables.

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Last updated 21 June 2005 (JM)