The 2009 Nation's Report Card in Reading

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The 2009 Nation's Report Card in Reading has been released.

The Nation's Report Card presents results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 4th and 8th graders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Schools, and the nation as a whole. Significant results for reading in 2009 include:

* The average score for students at grade 4 showed no overall increase at the national level, although scores were significantly higher in 2009 than when the assessment began in 1992.

* Overall in 2009, 67 percent of students at grade 4 performed at or above Basic and 33 percent performed at or above Proficient; these percentages were unchanged from 2007, but were higher than previous assessment years.

* The average score for grade 8 in 2009 was higher when compared to both 2007 and 1992. The percentages of students at grade 8 performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient (75 and 32, respectively) were also higher in 2009 than in both 2007 and 1992.

* Since 2007, scores have increased for lower- and middle-performing eighth-graders (10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles); there was no change for higher-performing students at grade 8.

* Since 1992, the White-Black gap has narrowed at grade 4 and the female-male gap has narrowed at grade 8. There were no changes in the racial/ethnic or gender gaps since 2007.

* Between 2007 and 2009, one state made gains at both grades 4 and 8; two states increased at grade 4 only, and eight increased at grade 8 only. Scores declined in four states at grade 4; no states had a decrease in scores at grade 8.
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