This report presents results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in mathematics at grades 4 and 8. Results for students in the nation, the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools are reported as average scores and as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. Scores are also reported at selected percentiles, showing changes in the performance of lower-, middle-, and higher-performing students. Results for groups of students defined by various background characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, and students' eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch) are included, as well as sample assessment questions with examples of student responses. Additional technical notes and appendix tables provide information on NAEP samples, school and student participation rates, the exclusion and accommodation of students with disabilities and English language learners, and additional state-level results.
Highlights of the national results show that gains in overall average scores seen in earlier years did not continue at grade 4 but did continue at grade 8. While still higher than the scores in the six assessment years from 1990 to 2005, the overall average score for fourth-graders in 2009 was unchanged from the score in 2007. The upward trend seen in earlier assessments for eighth-graders continued with a 2-point increase from 2007 to 2009. There were no significant changes from 2007 to 2009 in the score gaps between White and Black students or between White and Hispanic students at either grade 4 or grade 8. State results for grade 4 show score increases since 2007 in 8 states and decreases in 4 states and jurisdictions. At grade 8, scores were higher in 2009 than in 2007 in 15 states and jurisdictions, and no states showed a decline.
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