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Achievement-Level Trends in Reading 1992–2005

  • 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, the percentage of fourth-graders performing at or above Proficient increased from 29 percent in 1992 to 31 percent in 2005. The percentage of fourth-graders performing at Advanced in 2005 was not significantly different from that in 1992 or 2003.
  • The percentage of eighth-graders 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 showed a 1-point decrease between 2003 and 2005, and the percentage in 2005 was not significantly different from that in 1992. The percentage of eighth-graders performing at Advanced in 2005 was not significantly different from that in 1992 or 2003.
Percentage of students, by reading achievement level, grade 4: Various years, 1992–2005
 
Assessment year

Below Basic

At or above Basic

At or above Proficient

Accommodations not permitted
  1992 38 62   29 * 6  
  1994 40 * 60 * 30 7
  1998 38 62 31 7
Accommodations permitted                
  1998 40 * 60 * 29 * 7  
  2000 41 * 59 * 29   7  
  2002 36   64   31   7  
  2003 37   63   31   8  
  2005 36   64   31   8  
* Significantly different from 2005.
NOTE: Rows will not sum to 100 percent because of cumulative categories. View complete data with standard errors for grade 4.
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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