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Digest of Education Statistics
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Table 143. Mathematics performance of 17-year-olds, by highest mathematics course taken, sex, and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1978 through 2008
Year, sex, and race/ethnicity Percent of students Average scale score by highest mathematics course taken Percent of students at or above
score levels
All
students
Prealgebra
or general mathematics
Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Precalculus or calculus 200 250 300 350
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1978                                            
All students 100 (†) 300 (1.0) 267 (0.8) 286 (0.7) 307 (0.7) 321 (0.7) 334 (1.4) 100 (†) 92 (0.5) 52 (1.1) 7 (0.4)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (0.5) 304 (1.0) 269 (1.0) 289 (0.9) 310 (1.0) 325 (0.8) 337 (2.0) 100 (†) 93 (0.5) 55 (1.2) 10 (0.6)
Female 51 (0.5) 297 (1.0) 264 (0.9) 284 (1.0) 304 (0.8) 318 (0.9) 329 (1.8) 100 (†) 91 (0.6) 48 (1.3) 5 (0.7)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 83 (1.3) 306 (0.9) 272 (0.6) 291 (0.6) 310 (0.6) 325 (0.6) 338 (1.1) 100 (†) 96 (0.3) 58 (1.1) 8 (0.5)
Black 12 (1.1) 268 (1.3) 247 (1.6) 264 (1.5) 281 (1.9) 292 (1.4) 297 (6.5) 99 (0.3) 71 (1.7) 17 (1.6) # (†)
Hispanic 4 (0.5) 276 (2.3) 256 (2.3) 273 (2.8) 294 (4.4) 303 (2.9) (†) 99 (0.4) 78 (2.3) 23 (2.7) 1 (0.6)
Other1  1 (0.1) 313 (3.3) (†) (†) (†) 323 (2.9) (†) 100 (†) 94 (2.6) 65 (4.9) 15 (3.2)
1990                                            
All students 100 (†) 305 (0.9) 273 (1.1) 288 (1.2) 299 (1.5) 319 (1.0) 344 (2.7) 100 (†) 96 (0.5) 56 (1.4) 7 (0.6)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (0.9) 306 (1.1) 274 (1.7) 291 (1.6) 302 (1.6) 323 (1.2) 347 (2.4) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 58 (1.4) 9 (0.8)
Female 51 (0.9) 303 (1.1) 271 (1.8) 285 (1.8) 296 (1.8) 316 (1.1) 340 (4.0) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 55 (1.8) 6 (0.8)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 73 (0.5) 309 (1.0) 277 (1.1) 292 (1.6) 304 (1.3) 323 (0.9) 347 (2.8) 100 (†) 98 (0.3) 63 (1.6) 8 (0.7)
Black 16 (0.3) 289 (2.8) 264 (2.2) 278 (4.0) 285 (3.5) 302 (3.2) (†) 100 (†) 92 (2.2) 33 (4.5) 2 (1.0)
Hispanic 7 (0.4) 284 (2.9) (†) (†) (†) 306 (3.3) (†) 100 (†) 86 (4.2) 30 (3.1) 2 (0.8)
Other1  4 (0.5) 312 (5.2) (†) (†) (†) 321 (3.8) (†) 100 (†) 98 (‡) 62 (7.0) 16 (4.3)
1994                                            
All students 100 (†) 306 (1.0) 272 (1.2) 288 (1.4) 297 (1.7) 316 (1.0) 340 (2.2) 100 (†) 97 (0.5) 59 (1.4) 7 (0.8)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (1.3) 309 (1.4) 274 (1.8) 289 (1.6) 301 (2.1) 320 (1.5) 343 (2.6) 100 (†) 97 (0.6) 60 (2.1) 9 (1.0)
Female 51 (1.3) 304 (1.1) 268 (1.9) 286 (1.9) 293 (1.8) 313 (1.1) 337 (2.8) 100 (†) 96 (0.6) 57 (1.4) 6 (0.9)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 73 (0.5) 312 (1.1) 275 (1.4) 292 (1.7) 301 (1.5) 320 (1.0) 344 (2.0) 100 (†) 98 (0.4) 67 (1.4) 9 (1.1)
Black 15 (0.3) 286 (1.8) (†) 275 (3.3) 283 (3.8) 297 (2.5) (†) 100 (†) 91 (1.8) 30 (3.4) # (†)
Hispanic 9 (0.3) 291 (3.7) (†) (†) (†) 304 (4.1) (†) 100 (†) 92 (3.6) 38 (5.5) 1 (—)
Other1  3 (0.3) 313 (4.5) (†) (†) (†) 323 (3.5) (†) 100 (†) 97 (‡) 66 (6.6) 12 (3.6)
1996                                            
All students 100 (†) 307 (1.2) 269 (1.9) 283 (1.3) 298 (1.3) 316 (1.3) 339 (1.7) 100 (†) 97 (0.4) 60 (1.7) 7 (0.8)
Sex                                            
Male 50 (1.2) 310 (1.3) 272 (2.5) 286 (1.5) 302 (1.7) 320 (1.7) 342 (2.3) 100 (†) 97 (0.7) 63 (1.8) 9 (1.3)
Female 50 (1.2) 305 (1.4) 265 (2.2) 278 (2.2) 294 (1.5) 313 (1.4) 335 (2.2) 100 (†) 97 (0.6) 58 (2.2) 5 (0.8)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 71 (0.6) 313 (1.4) 273 (2.3) 287 (2.0) 304 (1.6) 320 (1.4) 342 (1.9) 100 (†) 99 (0.4) 69 (2.2) 9 (1.0)
Black 15 (0.3) 286 (1.7) (†) 272 (2.4) 280 (3.0) 299 (2.2) (†) 100 (†) 91 (1.3) 31 (2.5) 1 (—)
Hispanic 9 (0.7) 292 (2.1) (†) (†) (†) 306 (2.8) (†) 100 (†) 92 (2.2) 40 (3.5) 2 (—)
Other1  4 (0.7) 312 (5.7) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 100 (†) 97 (1.2) 64 (7.2) 14 (5.0)
1999                                            
All students 100 (†) 308 (1.0) 278 (2.8) 285 (1.7) 298 (1.2) 315 (0.8) 341 (1.4) 100 (†) 97 (0.5) 61 (1.6) 8 (0.8)
Sex                                            
Male 48 (1.0) 310 (1.4) 281 (3.2) 288 (2.6) 301 (1.8) 317 (1.3) 343 (1.9) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 63 (2.1) 10 (1.1)
Female 52 (1.0) 307 (1.0) 274 (3.2) 282 (2.5) 295 (1.3) 314 (1.1) 340 (2.0) 100 (†) 97 (0.4) 58 (1.9) 7 (1.1)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 72 (0.5) 315 (1.1) 282 (3.4) 290 (2.2) 303 (1.5) 320 (0.9) 343 (1.5) 100 (†) 99 (0.4) 70 (2.0) 10 (1.1)
Black 15 (0.4) 283 (1.5) (†) 267 (2.9) 281 (2.5) 293 (1.4) (†) 100 (†) 89 (2.0) 27 (2.7) 1 (—)
Hispanic 10 (0.5) 293 (2.5) (†) (†) (†) 308 (3.0) (†) 100 (†) 94 (2.2) 38 (4.1) 3 (1.1)
Other1  4 (0.2) 320 (4.0) (†) (†) (†) 320 (4.4) (†) 100 (†) 100 (†) 76 (6.3) 14 (4.1)
2008                                            
All students 100 (†) 306 (0.6) 270 (1.9) 280 (1.1) 295 (0.8) 307 (0.7) 333 (0.8) (†) 96 (0.4) 59 (0.9) 6 (0.4)
Sex                                            
Male 50 (0.5) 309 (0.7) 273 (2.9) 283 (1.5) 300 (0.8) 310 (0.8) 336 (1.1) (†) 96 (0.5) 63 (1.0) 8 (0.6)
Female 50 (0.5) 303 (0.8) 267 (2.8) 276 (1.6) 289 (1.0) 303 (0.8) 331 (0.9) (†) 96 (0.4) 56 (1.3) 5 (0.3)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 59 (1.5) 314 (0.7) 275 (2.3) 287 (1.3) 301 (0.9) 314 (0.8) 337 (0.8) (†) 98 (0.3) 71 (1.1) 8 (0.5)
Black 14 (1.4) 287 (1.2) (†) 266 (2.6) 282 (1.6) 291 (1.5) 312 (2.6) (†) 91 (1.4) 32 (1.6) 1 (0.2)
Hispanic 19 (1.2) 293 (1.1) 261 (3.2) 274 (2.3) 289 (1.3) 296 (1.2) 320 (1.9) (†) 92 (1.1) 41 (1.7) 1 (0.4)
Other1  7 (0.5) 316 (1.8) (†) (†) 297 (2.8) 311 (1.9) 340 (2.2) (†) 98 (0.7) 71 (2.2) 13 (1.8)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases).
1 Includes Asians/Pacific Islanders and American Indians/Alaska Natives.
NOTE: Score level 200 indicates ability to perform simple additive reasoning and problem solving. Score level 250 indicates ability to perform simple multiplicative reasoning and two-step problem solving. Score level 300 indicates ability to perform reasoning and problem solving involving fractions, decimals, percents, elementary geometry, and simple algebra. Score level 350 indicates ability to perform reasoning and problem solving involving geometry, algebra, and beginning statistics and probability. Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Excludes persons not enrolled in school and students who were unable to be tested due to limited proficiency in English or due to a disability. Beginning in 2008, data are for a revised assessment format that provides accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners. Includes public and private schools. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NAEP Trends in Academic Progress, 1996 and 1999; and 2004 and 2008 Long-Term Trend Mathematics Assessments, retrieved June 4, 2009, from the Long-Term Trend NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/). (This table was prepared June 2009.)

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