State Achievement-Level Results

Achievement-Level Map
Between 27 and 53 percent of fourth-graders performed at or above Proficient in mathematics across states/jurisdictions

In 2017, the percentage of fourth-grade public school students performing at or above the Proficient level in mathematics was 40 percent nationally. Across the states/jurisdictions, the percentage of public school fourth-graders performing at or above Proficient in mathematics ranged from 27 percent to 53 percent.

Achievement levels are performance standards that describe what students should know and be able to do. Results are reported as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels (Basic, Proficient, and Advanced). Students performing at or above the Proficient level on NAEP assessments demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments).

See how percentages of fourth-grade public school students performing at or above the Proficient level in each state/jurisdiction compare to the nation by clicking on the state/jurisdiction in the map.

Scroll down below the map to explore the percentage of students who performed at each of the mathematics achievement levels for states/jurisdictions in 2017.

INTERPRETING THE RESULTS

NAEP achievement-level setting is based on the collective judgments of a broadly representative panel of teachers, education specialists, and members of the general public. The authorizing legislation for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) requires that the achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public (20 USC § 9622(e)(2)(C)). The NCES Commissioner’s determination is to be based on a congressionally mandated, rigorous, and independent evaluation. The latest evaluation of the achievement levels was conducted by a committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2016. The evaluation concluded that further evidence should be gathered to determine whether the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative. Accordingly, the NCES commissioner determined that the trial status of the achievement levels should be maintained at this time. Read more about how NAEP achievement levels are set.

Comparison between states/jurisdictions and the nation of fourth-grade public school students performing at or above Proficient in NAEP mathematics: 2017

Click on any state to see the percentage of students at or above Proficient compared to the nation
DS = Department of Defense Education Activity, a federally operated nonpublic school system responsible for educating children of military families. See more about DoDEA.
State Results by NAEP Achievement Levels
Explore state results across all achievement levels

The chart below lists the percentages of fourth-grade public school students performing at each of the mathematics achievement levels for states/jurisdictions in 2017.

Click to set the baseline at either Basic or Proficient to see how the percentages of students performing at or above Basic or at or above Proficient in each state/jurisdiction compare to the nation (public). Set the view to cumulative achievement level to see the percentage of students at or above Basic or at or above Proficient. Set the view to discrete achievement level to see the percentage of students at each of the achievement levels.

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Additional State Resources

State Profiles Tool

See how a state performed over time, view a state's demographics and school characteristics, download snapshot reports, and compare each state's overall performance to performance nationwide or in other states.

State Snapshots

Download a one-page report containing key findings and trends in a condensed format. Reports contain overall student results, bar charts showing NAEP achievement levels, and tables displaying results by key reporting groups.