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Average reading scale scores, by type of location, grades 4 and 8: 2000–2003

		Accommodations	Accommodations
		not permitted	permitted
		2000	2000		2002		2003
Grade 4
	Central city	209	206	*	212		212
	Urban fringe/large town	222	217	*	223		222
	Rural/small town	218	218		220		220
Grade 8
	Central city	—	—		258		258
	Urban fringe/large town	—	—		268		267
	Rural/small town	—	—		266	*	264

— Not available.
* Significantly different from 2003.
NOTE: Data were not collected at grade 8 in 2000. In addition to allowing for accommodations, the accommodations-permitted results at grade 4 (2000–2003) differ slightly from previously reported results for 2000, due to changes in sample weighting procedures.
Significance tests were performed using unrounded numbers. NAEP sample sizes have increased since 2002 compared to previous years, resulting in smaller detectable differences than in previous assessments.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2000, 2002, and 2003 Reading Assessments.   

Major Findings

• The average scores of fourth-graders in central city and urban fringe/large town locations were higher in 2003 than in 2000.
• The average score of eighth-graders in rural/small town locations decreased between 2002 and 2003.

See the achievement-level results by type of school location for grade 4 and grade 8.

Return to national subgroup results page.

Return to main results.

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Last updated 20 October 2003 (SW)