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Percentage of students, by mathematics achievement level, grade 8: 1990–2003

			Below Basic		At Basic		At Proficient		At Advanced		At or above Basic		At or above Proficient
Grade 8
Accommodations not permitted	1990		48	*	37	*	13	*	2	*	52	*	15	*
	1992		42	*	37	*	18	*	3	*	58	*	21	*
	1996		38	*	39		20	*	4	*	62	*	24	*
	2000		34	*	38		22		5		66	*	27
Accommodations permitted	1996		39	*	38		20	*	4	*	61	*	23	*
	2000		37	*	38	*	21	*	5		63	*	26	*
	2003		32		39		23		5		68		29

* Significantly different from 2003.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.  
In addition to allowing for accommodations, the accommodations-permitted results (1996–2003) differ slightly from previous years' results and from previously reported results for 1996 and 2000, due to changes in sample weighting procedures.
Significance tests were performed using unrounded numbers. NAEP sample sizes have increased in 2003 compared to previous years, resulting in smaller detectable differences than in previous assessments.
See more information about the mathematics achievement levels.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2003 Mathematics Assessments. 

Major Findings

• The percentages of eighth-graders performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient were both higher in 2003 than in all previous assessment years since 1990.
• The percentage of eighth-graders performing at Advanced was higher in 2003 than in 1990.

See national achievement-level results in mathematics for grade 4.

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Last updated 8 March 2004 (JM)