This report presents results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading 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 student demographic groups 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. The 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. The overall average score for fourth-graders in 2009 was unchanged from the score in 2007 but was higher than the scores in other earlier assessment years from 1992 to 2005. The average score for eighth-graders in 2009 was 1 point higher than in 2007 and 4 points higher than 1992 but was not consistently higher than in all the assessment years in between. 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 three states and jurisdictions and decreases in four states. At grade 8, scores were higher in 2009 than in 2007 in nine states and jurisdictions, and no states showed a decline.
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