Reading scores hold steady on nationwide test
Reading scores for fourth and eighth grade students held mostly steady last year, with improvements seen in a handful of states and among low-income students.
Associated Press Writer
Reading scores for fourth and eighth grade students held mostly steady last year, with improvements seen in a handful of states and among low-income students.
Scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress, a series of federally funded achievement tests, rose in two states in grade four and in nine states for grade eight in 2009. Overall, the fourth-grade average remained unchanged while eighth graders rose one point.
"I think it's not surprising given the financial stresses that are being felt across the country," David Gordon, a member of the board that oversees the tests, said of the relatively stagnant results.
While not showing any significant increases or declines, the report does offer a snapshot of the nation's changing demographics and how well students are doing across racial, ethnic, income and geographic lines.
White students made up 56 percent of fourth-grade test takers in 2009, compared with 73 percent in 1992, reflecting the growing diversity of schools in America. In the same time period, Hispanic students have risen from 7 to 20 percent.
And, in another sign of the nation's recession, the number of students eligible for free lunch rose as well - from 32 percent of fourth graders in 2003 to 38 percent in 2009.
Meanwhile, a significant achievement gap remains among several groups. Affluent, white and Asian/Pacific Islander students are scoring higher than low-income, black and Hispanic students.
Each group has made gains, but at about the same rate, resulting in a continuing, sizable gap - 26 points