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The reading and mathematics assessments from the National Assessment of Educational Progress-the NAEP Report Cards in these subjects for 2007 have been released. These assessments were given earlier this year to about 700,000 4th- and 8th-grade students across the country. The results are for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense school system.
Overall Findings from 2005 to 2007 - Grade 4:
- Both reading and mathematics scores increased since 2005.
- In both subjects, there was an increase in the percentage of students performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient.
- In both subjects, African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and White fourth-grade students attained higher scores than their peers in 2005.
- The gap in scores between White and African-American students narrowed in reading, but not in mathematics.
Overall Findings from 2005 to 2007 - Grade 8:
- At grade 8, there was also an increase in scores for both subjects.
- In both subjects, a higher percentage of students performed at or above Basic.
- The percentage of students performing at or above Proficient increased in mathematics only.
- Scores rose for White and African-American students in both subjects, and for Hispanics in mathematics.
- The gap between African-American and White scores narrowed in mathematics.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as the Nation's Report Card, is the yardstick used to measure learning in each state across the country. Through two components, the long-term trend assessment (released every four years) and the main and state-by-state assessment (now released every two years), the Nation's Report Card measures what American students know and can do in various subject areas. The NAEP is carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. It is overseen by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), a bipartisan group of governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public.
For more details on the math and reading results for the fourth and eighth grades, please visit the Nation's Report Card Web site or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, via e-mail at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159.
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