Today the National Center for Education Statistics is releasing the most recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress—The Nation’s Report Card: Reading 2002.

The report describes the reading achievement of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students across the nation and of 4th and 8th graders in participating states and jurisdictions. It also includes comparisons between NAEP reading performance of students in 2002 and the performance of their counterparts in previous assessments.

Features of the Assessment
Content: The students who took the assessment read complete texts appropriate to their grade. The texts reflected the purposes of reading: Reading for literary experience, reading to gain information, and reading to perform a task. All three grades were assessed on the first two purposes. Only 8th and 12th graders were assessed on reading to perform a task. All students responded to a combination of multiple-choice and written-answer questions.

Timeline: The 2002 Reading Assessment is the fourth full national assessment in a series that began in 1992. The last reading assessment, in 2000, was for the 4th grade only.

The 2002 Reading Report Card has state-level data for the 4th grade that can be compared to 1992, 1994, and 1998, and state-level data for the 8th grade that can be compared to 1998. For the 12th grade, we have national data only.

Sample Size: In 2002, data are reported for 48 states and jurisdictions at the 4th grade, and 47 states and jurisdictions at the 8th grade. The grade 4 sample included more than 140,000 students in 5,500 schools. The grade 8 sample included 115,000 students in 4,700 schools. And because the grade 12 sample is national only, it includes fewer students and schools—15,000 students in over 700 schools.

Changes in the Student Population
The 2002 Reading Assessment includes a full decade of data on student performance. During that time, there have been changes in NAEP and changes in America’s student population. There are more students identified with disabilities and more limited English proficient students. There have also been changes in the racial/ethnic composition of the student population that are important to understand. During this time, NCES has worked to make NAEP more inclusive, and to keep pace with the growing diversity of America’s students.

Providing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities and Limited English Proficient Students In 1992, NAEP did not provide accommodations to special needs students—students with disabilities and limited English proficient students. In 1992, 10 percent of 4th-grade students selected for NAEP were special needs students and approximately 40 percent of them participated. Since that time, there has been a steady increase in special needs students nationally and in the NAEP sample. As the numbers of these students increased, so did the number of students who could not participate in NAEP.

In 1998, NAEP began testing the use of accommodations in reading, such as assessing these students in a small group setting or allowing them extra time as a way to increase participation. NAEP staff and their advisors concluded that it was both feasible and desirable to offer accommodations, and NAEP initiated a policy of permitting accommodations to students who require them to participate. Please note that for the reading assessment, NAEP does not allow having the assessment read aloud or translated, as it would alter the skills being assessed.

In 2002, about 19 percent of 4th-grade students selected for NAEP were identified as special needs students. This is almost double the size of the special needs population ten years earlier in 1992. Approximately two-thirds, or 68 percent of these students, participated in NAEP in 2002, and about 31 percent of them were only able to do so through the use of accommodations.

These percentages may vary from state-to-state, as NAEP follows the practices of individual schools and districts in identifying students who need accommodations. Differences in the population in a state over time and differences between states must also be considered when making comparisons.

Demographic Shift: Percentage of Students by Race/Ethnicity
Over the decade, there has been a shift in the racial and ethnic composition of the student population and the students participating in NAEP. The percentage of Hispanic students has been increasing, particularly among 4th graders. In 1992, 7 percent of 4th graders in the NAEP sample were Hispanic; by 2002, the percentage had about doubled to 16 percent. The percentage of 4th graders who were White declined over the same period from 73 percent to 61 percent, while the percentage of Black students remained constant at 17 percent.

Results Reported from the Assessment
Reading performance measured by NAEP is reported in two ways: 1) average scale scores, and 2) achievement levels. We have overall results for both the nation and national subgroups and for participating states and jurisdictions. The average scale score reflects the overall reading performance of a particular group or subgroup of students. The NAEP Reading Assessment uses a scale that ranges from 0 to 500 to provide information about student performance for all three grades.

Results are also reported according to three achievement levels established by the National Assessment Governing Board. These levels are intended to describe what students should know and be able to do at each level - Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Basic represents partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade. Proficient represents solid academic performance, and Advanced represents superior performance.

Because NAEP scores are based on samples, there is a margin of error associated with each score. When comparisons are made between scores, or between the percentages of students at the various achievement levels, the differences must be tested to determine if they are if they are larger than the margin of error involved. On the accompanying tables and figures, an asterisk denotes a statistically significant difference from 2002.

National Scale Score Results Across Years
In the display of the national results across years, the dotted lines indicate assessment results when accommodations for special needs were not allowed. In 1998 and 2000 we used dual samples, both “no accommodations” and “accommodations permitted.” Beginning in 2002, all NAEP assessments are “accommodations permitted.”

The 4th-grade average score increased from 1998 to 2002, but it is no higher than in 1992. Although reading performance at the 4th grade was not different over the decade, it is important to take a closer look at the data. As noted before, there has been a major shift in the composition of the population with an increase in the number of Hispanic students; in addition, NAEP is assessing substantially more special needs students, both with and without accommodations. As will be shown later, it is important to disaggregate the data, as the general trend of no increase when compared with 1992 does not apply for some subgroups of students.

The 8th-grade average score, in contrast, does show an increase over 1992, but does not show an increase since the last 8th-grade assessment, in 1998.

The 12th-grade average for 2002 is lower than both the 1992 and 1998 scores. There have been declines in 12th-grade scores for several recent NAEP assessments, and declining participation in NAEP by 12th graders as well. For these reasons, NAGB has established a commission that is examining the issues surrounding 12th-grade NAEP assessment.

Scale Score Percentiles
National percentile scores show where changes in scores are occurring. Considering the scores from the “accommodations permitted” sample, the improvements in 4th-grade scores in 2002, as compared to 1998, occurred among students performing in the lower half. At the 4th grade in 2002, only students in the 75th percentile showed an increase over 1992.