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Digest of Education Statistics: 2008
Digest of Education Statistics: 2008

NCES 2009-020
March 2009


Table 129. Average economics scale score of 12th-graders, percentage attaining economics achievement levels, and percentage with different levels of economics coursework, by selected student and school characteristics: 2006
Selected student
or school characteristic
Average
scale score1 
Percent of students attaining achievement levels Percentage distribution of students by highest level of economics coursework taken
Below Basic At or above Basic2 At or above Proficient3 At Advanced4 No economics courses Combined course Consumer economics/business General economics Advanced economics5 
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
All students 150 (0.9) 21 (0.8) 79 (0.8) 42 (1.1) 3 (0.3) 13 (0.9) 12 (0.7) 11 (0.7) 49 (1.4) 16 (0.7)
Sex                                        
Male 152 (1.0) 21 (0.8) 79 (0.8) 45 (1.3) 4 (0.5) 13 (1.0) 10 (0.6) 10 (0.7) 50 (1.4) 16 (0.8)
Female 148 (0.9) 21 (0.9) 79 (0.9) 38 (1.3) 2 (0.3) 12 (0.9) 13 (0.9) 11 (0.8) 48 (1.6) 15 (0.8)
                                         
Race/ethnicity                                        
White 158 (0.8) 13 (0.7) 87 (0.7) 51 (1.2) 4 (0.4) 15 (1.1) 12 (0.8) 11 (0.8) 49 (1.6) 13 (0.9)
Black 127 (1.2) 43 (1.9) 57 (1.9) 16 (1.3) # (†) 8 (0.8) 11 (0.9) 11 (1.2) 49 (1.7) 21 (1.1)
Hispanic 133 (1.2) 36 (1.6) 64 (1.6) 21 (1.2) # (†) 8 (1.7) 13 (1.1) 7 (0.9) 55 (2.6) 18 (1.2)
Asian/Pacific Islander 153 (3.5) 20 (4.0) 80 (4.0) 44 (4.5) 4 (1.4) 13 (1.8) 10 (1.8) 10 (1.4) 45 (4.1) 22 (1.9)
American Indian/Alaska Native 137 (4.1) 28 (5.6) 72 (5.6) 26 (4.8) 2 (—) 11 (3.9) 18 (2.7) 17 (3.2) 41 (4.9) 13 (3.1)
                                         
Parents' highest level of education                                        
Not high school graduate 129 (1.4) 41 (2.1) 59 (2.1) 17 (1.7) # (†) 10 (1.7) 13 (1.4) 10 (1.4) 53 (3.2) 14 (1.3)
Graduated high school 138 (1.2) 31 (1.5) 69 (1.5) 27 (1.4) 1 (0.3) 11 (1.2) 12 (1.0) 12 (1.0) 52 (1.7) 13 (0.9)
Some college 150 (0.8) 18 (1.1) 82 (1.1) 39 (1.4) 1 (0.4) 11 (1.0) 13 (0.9) 12 (1.0) 51 (1.9) 14 (1.0)
Graduated college 160 (0.9) 13 (0.8) 87 (0.8) 54 (1.3) 5 (0.6) 14 (1.0) 11 (0.8) 10 (0.7) 47 (1.5) 17 (1.0)
                                         
Free/reduced-price lunch eligibility                                        
Eligible 132 (0.9) 38 (1.1) 62 (1.1) 20 (1.1) 1 (0.2) 9 (0.7) 13 (1.1) 10 (0.9) 50 (1.6) 18 (0.8)
Not eligible 155 (0.9) 16 (0.8) 84 (0.8) 48 (1.2) 4 (0.4) 13 (1.1) 12 (0.8) 12 (0.9) 48 (1.6) 16 (0.9)
Not available 157 (1.9) 14 (1.7) 86 (1.7) 50 (2.8) 4 (1.1) 16 (3.0) 12 (1.6) 7 (1.1) 54 (3.1) 11 (1.4)
                                         
School location                                        
Central city 148 (1.4) 24 (1.3) 76 (1.3) 39 (1.8) 3 (0.7) 10 (1.3) 12 (1.2) 9 (1.0) 51 (2.7) 18 (1.3)
Urban fringe 152 (1.2) 20 (1.1) 80 (1.1) 44 (1.6) 3 (0.5) 14 (1.5) 12 (0.9) 11 (0.9) 47 (1.8) 17 (1.2)
Rural 149 (1.3) 20 (1.5) 80 (1.5) 40 (1.7) 2 (0.4) 12 (1.9) 12 (1.3) 13 (1.3) 51 (2.6) 12 (1.2)
                                         
Region                                        
Northeast 153 (2.0) 19 (1.7) 81 (1.7) 46 (2.6) 4 (0.9) 26 (2.6) 7 (1.1) 11 (1.3) 43 (3.2) 13 (1.4)
Midwest 153 (1.5) 17 (1.4) 83 (1.4) 45 (2.0) 3 (0.6) 12 (2.2) 12 (1.6) 15 (1.5) 51 (2.6) 10 (1.0)
South 147 (1.4) 23 (1.4) 77 (1.4) 37 (1.7) 2 (0.5) 6 (1.1) 14 (1.2) 9 (1.3) 49 (2.0) 22 (1.5)
West (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†)
— Not available.
† Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.
‡ Reporting standards not met.
1 Scale ranges from 0 to 300.
2 Basic denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at a given grade.
3 Proficient represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter.
4 Advanced signifies superior performance for a given grade.
5 Advanced economics includes Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and honors courses.
NOTE: Includes public and private schools. Excludes persons unable to be tested due to limited proficiency in English or due to a disability (if the accommodations provided were not sufficient to enable the test to properly reflect the students' economics proficiency). Detail may not sum to totals due to rounding. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Totals include other racial/ethnic groups not shown separately. Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2006 Economics Assessment, retrieved August 23, 2007, from the NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/). (This table was prepared August 2007.)