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Average reading scale scores, grade 8 public schools: By state, 1998–2003

		Accommodations		Accommodations
		not permitted		permitted
		1998		1998		2002		2003
Nation (Public)	1	261		261		263	*	261
Alabama		255		255		253		253
Alaska		—		—		—		256
Arizona		261	*,**	260	*,**	257		255
Arkansas		256		256		260		258
California		253		252		250		251
Colorado		264	*	264	*	—		268
Connecticut		272	*,**	270	*	267		267
Delaware		256	*,**	254	*,**	267	*	265
Florida		253		255		261		257
Georgia		257		257		258		258
Hawaii		250		249		252		251
Idaho		—		—		266		264
Illinois		—		—		—		266
Indiana		—		—		265		265
Iowa		—		—		—		268
Kansas		268		268		269		266
Kentucky		262	*	262	*	265		266
Louisiana		252		252		256		253
Maine		273	*,**	271	*	270		268
Maryland		262		261		263		262
Massachusetts		269	*	269	*	271		273
Michigan		—		—		265		264
Minnesota		267		265		—		268
Mississippi		251	*	251		255		255
Missouri		263	*,**	262	*,**	268		267
Montana		270		271		270		270
Nebraska		—		—		270	*	266
Nevada		257	*,**	258	*,**	251		252
New Hampshire		—		—		—		271
New Jersey		—		—		—		268
New Mexico		258	*,**	258	*,**	254		252
New York		266		265		264		265
North Carolina		264		262		265	*	262
North Dakota		—		—		268		270
Ohio		—		—		268		267
Oklahoma		265	*	265	*	262		262
Oregon		266		266		268	*	264
Pennsylvania		—		—		265		264
Rhode Island		262		264	*,**	262		261
South Carolina		255		255	*	258		258
South Dakota		—		—		—		270
Tennessee		259		258		260		258
Texas		262		261		262		259
Utah		265		263		263		264
Vermont		—		—		272		271
Virginia		266		266		269		268
Washington		265		264		268	*	264
West Virginia		262		262		264	*	260
Wisconsin		266		265		—		266
Wyoming		262	*,**	263	*,**	265	*	267
Other Jurisdictions
District of Columbia		236		236		240		239
DDESS	2	269		268		272		269
DoDDS	3	269	*,**	269	*,**	273		273

— Not available.
* Significantly different from 2003 when only one jurisdiction or the nation is being examined.
** Significantly different from 2003 when using a multiple-comparison procedure based on all jurisdictions that participated in both years.
¹ National results for assessments prior to 2002 are based on the national sample, not on aggregated state samples. 
² Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools. 
³ Department of Defense Dependents Schools (Overseas). 
NOTE: State-level data were not collected in 1992, 1994, or 2000. Comparative performance results may be affected by changes in exclusion rates for students with disabilities and limited-English-proficient students in the NAEP samples.
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), 1998, 2002, and 2003 Reading Assessments.

Major Findings

• Of 44 states and jurisdictions that participated in both 2002 and 2003 at grade 8, the average score for Wyoming increased, while the average score for Delaware, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia decreased.
• Of the 39 states and jurisdictions that participated in both the 1998 and 2003 accommodations-permitted sample, 8 showed an increase while 7 showed a decrease in the average score.

View average scale score gains within states/jurisdictions at grade 8 for 2002 and 2003.

Return to state-level results main page.

Return to main results.

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Last updated 17 December 2003 (HM)