November 2003
The 2003 NAEP program included state-level and national-level assessments in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8. The NAEP assessment was administered at the state level for the first time in 1990. The first state reading assessments were given at grade 8 in 1996. In 2003, both grades 4 and 8 were assessed. The 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2003 assessments were based on the same reading assessment framework.
The state snapshot reports and their companion, The Nation's Report Card: Reading Highlights 2003, provide a look at the main results of the NAEP 2003 Reading assessment. Each participating jurisdiction receives its own customized state report, as seen here. The Nation's Report Card: Reading Highlights 2003 offers data for all participating states and additional national data. The NAEP Data Tool provides information for all jurisdictions for which results are reported in 2003 and allows the user not only to develop custom data tables, but also to perform appropriate tests of statistical significance for within- or across-state data comparisons.
Within each state report the overall scale score and achievement level results are provided, in addition to student subgroup results. The information is presented on a single page for each grade assessed in the particular state or jurisdiction.