Selected reading scale score percentiles, grades 4 and 8 public schools: By urban district, 2002 and 2003
25th Percentile
50th Percentile
75th Percentile
Grade 4
2002
2003
2002
2003
2002
2003
Nation (Public)
194
193
219
219
242
243
Large central city (Public)
177
179**
203
206**
229
231**
Atlanta
171
171*,**
194
195*,**
219
221*,**
Boston
—
185**
—
207**
—
228**
Charlotte
—
196*
—
221*
—
244*
Chicago
170
174*,**
194***
199*,**
217***
223*,**
Cleveland
—
174*,**
—
196*,**
—
217*,**
District of Columbia
167***
162*,**
191
189*,**
215
214*,**
Houston
183
184*,**
206
207**
229
229**
Los Angeles
165
169*,**
190
195*,**
217
218*,**
New York City
182
186*,**
206
210*,**
230
234**
San Diego
—
182**
—
209**
—
235
Grade 8
Nation (Public)
242***
240
265***
264
286
286
Large central city (Public)
228
226**
252
251**
276
274**
Atlanta
214
217*,**
236
240*,**
259
263*,**
Boston
—
229**
—
253**
—
278*,**
Charlotte
—
239*
—
264*
—
286*
Chicago
231
228**
251
249**
270
270*,**
Cleveland
—
219*,**
—
242*,**
—
263*,**
District of Columbia
219
216*,**
241
241*,**
262
262*,**
Houston
226
224**
251
247*,**
273***
268*,**
Los Angeles
213
210*,**
238
236*,**
261
261*,**
New York City
—
229**
—
254*,**
—
277**
San Diego
—
226**
—
252**
—
275**
— Not available.
* Significantly different from large central city public schools.
** Significantly different from nation (public schools).
*** Significantly different from 2003.
NOTE: NAEP sample sizes increased since 2002 compared to previous years, resulting in smaller detectable differences than in previous assessments.
Significance tests were performed using unrounded numbers.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002 and 2003 Trial Urban District Reading Assessments.
View complete large central city data with standard errors at grade 4 and grade 8.
View complete data with standard errors for the assessed urban districts at grade 4 and grade 8.
Major Findings
In order to provide a context for the data collected in the 2003 TUDA, results are presented for students attending public schools in the nation as a whole, as well as for public schools located in large central cities across the nation. "Urban districts" refers to the ten districts reported in this trial study. Eight of the ten urban districts consist entirely of schools in cities with a population of 250,000 or more (i.e., large central cities as defined by NCES); two of them (Charlotte and Los Angeles) consist primarily of schools in large central cities, but also have from one-quarter to one-third of their fourth- and eighth-grade students enrolled in surrounding urban fringe or rural areas. All of the data for both districts were used to compare with data from large central cities and the nation.
At grade 4, the national and large central city public-school scores at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles were not found to differ significantly from 2002 to 2003.
At grade 4, the scores for the 50th and 75th percentiles for students in Chicago were higher in 2003 than in 2002.
The score for fourth-grade students in the District of Columbia at the 25th percentile was lower in 2003 than in 2002.
At grade 8, scores for public-school students in the nation were lower at the 25th and the 50th percentiles in 2003 than in 2002.
At grade 8, the score for students in Houston at the 75th percentile was also lower in 2003 than in 2002.
Scores at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles for students in large central cities were not found to differ significantly between 2002 and 2003 at grade 8.
