In 2017, the percentage of fourth-grade public school students performing at or above the Proficient level in reading was 35 percent nationally and 28 percent for the large city average. Across the participating TUDA districts, the percentage of public school fourth-graders performing at or above Proficient in reading ranged from 5 percent to 42 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 the percentage of fourth-grade public school students performing at or above the Proficient level in each TUDA district compares to the nation or the large city average by clicking on the district in the map.

Scroll down below the map to explore the percentages of students who performed at each of the reading achievement levels for participating TUDA districts 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.

The chart below lists the percentages of fourth-grade public school students performing at each of the reading achievement levels for participating TUDA districts in 2017.

• 8 districts have a higher percentage of students performing at or above Proficient than the large city average.
• 11 districts have a lower percentage of students performing at or above Proficient than the large city average.

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 participating district compared to the nation and the large city average. 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.