Executive Summary

In 2005, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted the first Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in science to examine the performance of fourth- and eighth-graders in 10 large urban districts. These urban districts serve student populations that are more diverse than the nation's public schools overall. Learn more about the 10 participating urban districts.

Fourth-grade results

• In 7 of the 10 districts, fourth-graders performed better than, or not significantly different from, students in large central cities. More...
• The percentage of fourth-graders performing at or above Basic ranged from 35 to 60 percent in the districts, compared to 66 percent for the nation. The percentage of students performing at or above Proficient ranged from 6 to 26 percent in the districts, compared to 27 percent for the nation. More...

A fourth-grade student whose score falls within the Basic achievement-level range would likely be able to identify two organs that work together to supply oxygen to the body. Relating the amount of time a candle burns to the amount of air available is an example of the type of skill that falls in the Proficient range. See more sample questions.

Eighth-grade results

• In 6 of the 10 districts, eighth-graders performed better than, or not significantly different from, students in large central cities. More...
• The percentage of eighth-graders performing at or above Basic ranged from 22 to 52 percent in the districts, compared to 57 percent for the nation. The percentage of eighth-graders performing at or above Proficient ranged from 6 to 27 percent in the districts, compared to 27 percent for the nation. More...

An eighth-grade student whose score falls within the Basic achievement-level range would likely be able to identify changes that occur in heart rate before, during, and after exercise. Identifying the energy conversions that occur in an electric fan is the type of skill that falls in the Proficient range. See more sample questions.

Comparisons by race/ethnicity and income level

All of the 10 participating districts have a majority of students who are not White, and almost all have high proportions of low-income students. Because the demographic make-up of these districts differs from that of public schools in the nation, it is important to compare student groups in the districts with their peers in large central cities and the nation.

• In many districts, the average scores for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students at both grades were either higher or not significantly different from the national average for their peers at both grades. More...
• At both grades 4 and 8, the gap in average scores between the nation and the individual districts for all students ranged from 2 to 30 points, with the nation's score higher. When the comparison between nation and district at both grades is based only on low-income students, the gaps in average scores ranged from almost none to 19 points, with the nation's score higher. More...

About this website

Only public schools participated, so throughout this website scores for the 10 participating districts are compared to public school averages for the nation and large central cities. Large central cities (population 250,000 or more) provide a comparison that is more reflective of these student populations than the nation as a whole. Because this is the first science TUDA assessment, NAEP cannot compare student performance in the districts to prior years to determine whether districts are making progress.