Mathematics Results: Executive Summary for Grades 4 and 8
District Summary
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is an assessment given to a small number of students selected (or sampled) to represent the entire population of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders in schools across the nation. The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), a special project in NAEP, began assessing performance in selected large urban districts in 2002 with reading and writing assessments, and continued in 2003 and 2005 with reading and mathematics. Ten large urban school districts participated in 2005, with Austin participating for the first time. Student samples in these 10 districts were enlarged beyond usual NAEP samples so that reliable district-level data could be produced. This website provides the 2005 NAEP mathematics results for the participating districts. Results for the District of Columbia, regularly included in state-level NAEP, are also reported, making 11 districts in all. The website compares district results to public school students’ performance in the nation and in large central cities, and to results for the mathematics assessment in 2003, where applicable, using a .05 significance level. For more information, see About Urban Districts.
Mathematics Results for Grade 4
In 2005, public school students in Austin and Charlotte had higher average scale scores than students nationally; average scores in the other districts were lower than the national average. Compared with students in large central city public schools nationwide, students in Austin, Charlotte, Houston, New York City, and San Diego had higher average scores and higher percentages performing at or above Basic. Students in Austin, Charlotte, and San Diego also had higher percentages performing at or above Proficient. Boston had higher percentages at or above Basic. Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient.
Compared to students of the same race/ethnicity in large central city schools, Black students in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, and New York City had higher average scores and higher percentages performing at or above Basic. Black students in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic. Hispanic students in Austin, Charlotte, Houston, and New York City had higher average scores and higher percentages performing at or above Basic. Hispanic students in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic.
Between 2003 and 2005, both the average scores and the percentages performing at or above Basic increased in Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Diego. The same districts, except for Atlanta and Cleveland, also showed increases in the percentage of students performing at or above Proficient between 2003 and 2005.
Mathematics Results for Grade 8
In 2005, average scores for students in Austin and Charlotte were higher than the average score for public school students in the nation, with average scores in the other districts lower. Compared with students in large central cities, students in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, and San Diego had higher average scores and higher percentages performing at or above Basic. Austin, Boston, and Charlotte also had higher percentages of students performing at or above Proficient. Houston had a higher percentage at or above Basic, but a lower percentage at or above Proficient. Students in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient.
Compared to students of the same race/ethnicity in large central city schools, Black students in Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Houston, and New York City had higher average scores and higher percentages at or above Basic. Black students in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, and the District of Columbia had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic. Black students in Los Angeles had lower average scores. Hispanic students in Austin, Chicago, and Houston had higher average scores and higher percentages performing at or above Basic than their large central city peers. Hispanic students in Los Angeles had lower average scores and lower percentages performing at or above Basic.
Between 2003 and 2005, the average scores and the percentages of students performing at or above Basic and at or above Proficient increased in Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Diego.