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About the Assessment: Exclusion Rates

NAEP has always endeavored to assess all students selected as a part of its sampling process, including students who are classified by their schools as students with disabilities (SD) and/or as English language learners (ELL). The decision to exclude any of these students is made by school personnel. School personnel are encouraged to use inclusion criteria provided by NAEP and may discuss their inclusion decisions with NAEP field staff. Some students may participate with testing accommodations. Read more about the NAEP inclusion policy, including exclusion rates from current and previous assessments in all subject areas.

The tables below show the percentage of students identified as SD and/or ELL, and provide the rate of students excluded and accommodated in two ways: as a percentage of all students in the NAEP sample, or as a percentage of students identified as SD and/or ELL. Tables that provide percentages of SD students include those identified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Title 29 U.S.C. 794 Section 504), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of handicap in federally assisted programs and activities.

Grade 4 National and State
Grade 8 National and State
Grade 4 Trend
Grade 8 Trend
Percentage of eighth-grade public and nonpublic school students identified as students with disabilities (SD) and/or English language learners (ELL) excluded in NAEP reading, as a percentage of all students, by state/jurisdiction: Various years, 1992–2011
  Percentage of all SD identified students
State/jurisdiction 19921 19941 1998 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
    Nation 64 54 31 35 30 32 34 28 23
      Nation (public) — — 32 36 31 32 34 28 24
Alabama — — 53 15 19 12 26 14 18
Alaska — — — — 14 12 14 14 11
Arizona — — 38 33 38 27 37 22 11
Arkansas — — 43 33 29 39 39 13 12
California — — 26 25 22 23 22 19 21
Colorado — — 27 — 18 25 27 23 12
Connecticut — — 35 23 23 17 15 17 11
Delaware — — 13 41 52 67 40 27 32
Florida — — 31 25 25 22 19 18 11
Georgia — — 38 30 22 40 58 33 38
Hawaii — — 33 23 22 20 14 12 7
Idaho — — — 29 25 20 26 22 17
Illinois — — 29 22 27 29 29 22 10
Indiana — — — 27 23 27 30 36 13
Iowa — — — — 28 24 28 28 5
Kansas — — 30 33 20 29 34 37 16
Kentucky — — 33 56 53 55 58 55 58
Louisiana — — 36 62 39 51 20 12 7
Maine — — 36 24 29 34 34 19 9
Maryland — — 25 30 22 32 54 59 62
Massachusetts — — 21 25 18 34 33 24 29
Michigan — — — 54 48 45 37 29 36
Minnesota — — 10 17 22 19 27 23 21
Mississippi — — 53 52 59 43 37 17 12
Missouri — — 27 50 49 51 25 25 10
Montana — — 34 33 32 35 30 30 32
Nebraska — — — 36 26 24 27 38 29
Nevada — — 39 31 18 27 36 19 16
New Hampshire — — — — 16 12 20 17 20
New Jersey — — — — 14 22 36 33 35
New Mexico — — 35 36 24 34 43 36 34
New York — — 38 50 34 36 35 34 14
North Carolina — — 39 50 39 20 18 14 13
North Dakota — — — 30 30 44 61 55 49
Ohio — — — 57 44 50 50 45 37
Oklahoma — — 71 24 25 28 41 30 24
Oregon — — 25 30 27 26 23 19 15
Pennsylvania — — — 17 14 22 30 17 16
Rhode Island — — 34 23 15 16 15 12 5
South Carolina — — 44 38 54 49 44 42 42
South Dakota — — — — 31 28 50 41 25
Tennessee — — 39 27 19 58 60 60 51
Texas — — 31 44 44 40 49 39 48
Utah — — 35 27 22 31 41 40 29
Vermont — — — 26 25 23 26 16 13
Virginia — — 40 47 54 46 46 24 22
Washington — — 28 25 21 30 35 22 14
West Virginia — — 54 59 52 37 13 14 11
Wisconsin — — 34 40 34 33 41 28 14
Wyoming — — 20 23 15 19 24 20 12
Other jurisdictions    
    District of Columbia — — 34 36 40 38 67 68 12
    DoDEA2 — — 13 16 10 20 24 28 25
— Not available. The state/jurisdiction did not participate or did not meet the minimum participation guidelines for reporting.
1 Accommodations not permitted.
2 Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).
NOTE: Students identified as both SD and ELL were counted only once under the combined SD and/or ELL category. The national results include both public and nonpublic school students. The national (public) and state/jurisdiction results include public school students only.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1992–2011 Reading Assessments.
Percentage of eighth-grade public school students identified as students with disabilities (SD) and/or English language learners (ELL) excluded in NAEP reading, as a percentage of all students, by state/jurisdiction: Various years, 1992–2011
  Percentage of identified ELL students
State/jurisdiction 19921 19941 1998 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
    Nation 68 50 29 28 24 21 23 18 14
      Nation (public) — — 29 28 24 21 23 17 14
Alabama — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Alaska — — — — 4 4 4 13 4
Arizona — — 29 20 21 14 24 13 ǂ
Arkansas — — ǂ ǂ 52 51 30 9 3
California — — 18 10 10 9 8 5 5
Colorado — — ǂ — 34 24 21 14 8
Connecticut — — ǂ 53 40 37 33 45 23
Delaware — — ǂ 56 ǂ 51 56 40 ǂ
Florida — — 36 36 31 39 53 42 17
Georgia — — ǂ 46 29 38 57 43 40
Hawaii — — 26 31 24 32 18 17 16
Idaho — — — 26 16 21 17 11 13
Illinois — — ǂ 29 50 43 36 24 9
Indiana — — — ǂ 31 ǂ 37 22 10
Iowa — — — — 21 ǂ 26 ǂ 1
Kansas — — ǂ 42 42 36 20 23 2
Kentucky — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ 68 41
Louisiana — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Maine — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Maryland — — ǂ 39 27 ǂ 75 82 55
Massachusetts — — ǂ 57 46 44 51 52 30
Michigan — — — ǂ ǂ 27 ǂ 15 21
Minnesota — — ǂ 29 18 14 17 12 6
Mississippi — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Missouri — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ 19 ǂ ǂ
Montana — — ǂ ǂ ǂ 13 12 11 ǂ
Nebraska — — — 69 51 19 25 31 ǂ
Nevada — — 40 34 26 14 28 20 6
New Hampshire — — — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
New Jersey — — — — 33 59 45 78 ǂ
New Mexico — — 44 25 28 25 26 18 20
New York — — 71 44 40 41 42 42 21
North Carolina — — ǂ 64 47 31 29 14 9
North Dakota — — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ 60
Ohio — — — ǂ 41 ǂ 54 63 27
Oklahoma — — ǂ 20 18 27 27 22 24
Oregon — — ǂ 31 35 25 14 11 6
Pennsylvania — — — ǂ ǂ ǂ 48 25 34
Rhode Island — — ǂ 38 34 24 25 33 12
South Carolina — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ 50 35 20
South Dakota — — — — 11 ǂ ǂ ǂ 29
Tennessee — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Texas — — 24 35 41 30 34 18 20
Utah — — ǂ 23 19 27 16 23 25
Vermont — — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Virginia — — ǂ 54 55 38 42 29 22
Washington — — ǂ 29 31 25 28 15 12
West Virginia — — ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ ǂ
Wisconsin — — ǂ ǂ 44 51 41 28 8
Wyoming — — ǂ 11 8 9 17 ǂ ǂ
Other jurisdictions  
    District of Columbia — — ǂ 38 38 51 45 37 17
    DoDEA2 — — ǂ 26 19 32 47 34 25
— Not available. The state/jurisdiction did not participate or did not meet the minimum participation guidelines for reporting.
‡ Reporting standards not met. Sample size insufficient to permit a reliable estimate.
1 Accommodations not permitted.
2 Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools).
NOTE: The national results include both public and nonpublic school students. The national (public) and state/jurisdiction results include public school students only.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1992–2011 Reading Assessments.