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Reading Achievement-Level Results for the Nation

  • There was no significant change between 1992 and 2005 in the percentage of fourth-graders performing at or above Basic. While there was no change compared to 2003 in the percentage of fourth-graders performing at or above Proficient, there was an increase from 29 percent in 1992 to 31 percent in 2005.  
  • The percentage of eighth-graders performing at or above Basic was higher in 2005 than in 1992, but showed a 1-point decrease between 2003 and 2005. The percentage of eighth-graders performing at or above Proficient also showed a 1-point decrease between 2003 and 2005, and the percentage in 2005 was not significantly different from that in 1992. 

Percentage of students at or above Basic and at or above Proficient in reading, grade 8: Various years, 1992–2005

Percentage of students at or above Basic and at or above Proficient in reading, grade 8: Various years, 1992–2005


* Significantly different from 2005.
NOTE: The gray shaded boxes represent results based on administrations when accommodations were not permitted. View complete data with standard errors for grade 8.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1992–2005 Reading Assessments.

View more information about reading achievement levels on the NAEP website. Read the specific definitions of the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced achievement levels for grades 4 and 8.

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