Classroom Context: Students Selecting Books

As part of the 2009 reading assessment, teachers of fourth- and eighth-graders were asked about the amount of time they allowed for students to read books they had chosen themselves. The full text of the question, corresponding percentages, and average scores of students whose teachers responded in each category are below.

How often do you do the following things as part of reading instruction with this class?

Give students time to read books they have chosen themselves

A. Never or hardly ever
B. Once or twice a month
C. Once or twice a week
D. Almost every day

Grade 4

Grade 8

Average Scores

Percentage of Students

Fourth-graders who were given time almost every day to read books they had chosen themselves (223) scored higher than those who were given time less frequently to do so.

scale scores, grade 4, students selecting books

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. See complete data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.

Browse questionnaires for the NAEP assessments.