Table 2

Distribution of test scores, NAEP Long-Term Trends, 17-year olds

Panel A. Reading, 1971-2004 (original assessment); 2004-2012 (new assessment)
Original assessment New assessment
1971 1975 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2004 Change (2004-1980) 2004 2008 2012 Change (2012-2004)
All Students
Average score 285 286 285 289 290 290 290 288 288 288 285 0 283 286 287 4
Percentiles
10th 225 228 231 236 241 237 233 230 232 233 227 -4 224 227 232 8
25th 256 258 259 263 266 263 263 260 260 261 258 -1 255 258 260 5
Median 288 288 287 290 291 291 293 290 289 289 287 0 286 288 289 3
75th 317 316 315 317 316 319 319 319 316 316 315 0 313 317 316 3
90th 342 340 337 340 337 343 343 343 341 341 338 1 337 341 340 3
White Students
Average score 293 295 295 297 297 296 295 295 293 0 289 295 295 6
Percentiles
10th 243 246 247 246 245 241 243 243 239 -4 232 241 242 10
25th 268 271 271 271 272 270 270 269 268 0 263 270 270 7
Median 294 297 295 297 300 298 296 296 295 1 292 297 297 5
75th 319 322 320 324 324 324 323 322 321 2 318 324 323 5
90th 341 343 340 347 347 347 347 345 344 3 341 347 345 4
Black Students
Average score 243 264 274 267 261 266 266 264 264 21 262 266 269 7
Percentiles
10th 191 216 228 217 206 210 217 214 211 20 209 211 217 8
25th 217 239 251 242 235 239 242 239 240 23 237 239 245 8
Median 244 264 274 268 263 268 266 265 265 21 263 269 270 7
75th 270 288 300 294 288 296 291 290 289 19 288 295 296 8
90th 293 311 321 316 312 317 315 311 314 21 311 319 319 8
Hispanic Students
Average score 261 268 271 275 271 263 265 271 264 3 267 269 274 7
Percentiles
10th 208 217 218 224 213 203 212 218 205 -3 207 216 221 14
25th 235 242 246 250 241 236 238 241 235 0 238 243 248 10
Median 263 269 274 276 275 264 265 269 268 5 270 271 275 5
75th 289 295 298 303 304 294 294 299 295 6 297 297 301 4
90th 313 318 316 326 326 318 318 321 317 4 322 321 325 3
Panel B. Mathematics, 1978-2004 (original assessment); 2004-2012 (new assessment)
Original assessment New assessment
1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2004 Change (2004-1980) 2004 2008 2012 Change (2012-2004)
All Students
Average score 300 298 302 305 307 306 307 308 307 7 305 306 306 1
Percentiles
10th 254 256 263 264 267 267 267 268 269 15 266 267 266 0
25th 276 276 281 283 286 286 286 287 287 11 286 287 287 1
Median 301 299 301 305 308 306 308 309 307 6 306 307 307 1
75th 325 321 323 327 328 327 329 330 328 3 327 327 328 1
90th 345 341 343 345 345 345 346 347 345 0 343 343 345 2
White students
Average score 306 304 308 309 312 312 313 315 313 7 311 314 314 3
Percentiles
10th 263 264 271 270 274 275 276 279 279 16 275 279 278 3
25th 284 282 287 289 293 293 294 296 295 11 293 297 296 3
Median 307 304 307 310 313 312 315 316 314 7 313 315 314 1
75th 329 325 328 330 332 332 333 334 332 3 331 333 333 2
90th 347 343 346 347 348 349 349 350 347 0 346 347 349 3
Black students
Average score 268 272 279 289 286 286 286 283 286 18 284 287 288 4
Percentiles
10th 228 235 244 254 249 251 251 248 254 26 248 251 250 2
25th 246 251 260 269 267 268 268 265 269 23 266 270 269 3
Median 268 271 279 287 287 286 286 283 286 18 286 288 289 3
75th 291 291 296 307 304 304 306 301 300 9 303 305 307 4
90th 310 311 312 326 321 317 322 318 317 7 318 322 325 7
Hispanic students
Average score 276 277 283 284 292 291 292 293 289 13 292 293 294 2
Percentiles
10th 234 241 249 242 258 254 254 256 253 19 254 254 256 2
25th 253 256 265 264 273 271 272 272 271 18 274 274 275 1
Median 275 275 283 282 292 290 293 291 289 14 292 293 295 3
75th 299 297 301 304 311 311 312 312 307 8 311 313 314 3
90th 320 315 319 325 328 329 330 334 327 7 328 330 332 4
Economic Policy Institute

Notes: Average scores indicate average scale scores. The NAEP Long-Term Trends assessments changed in 2004, so that post-2004 figures are not directly comparable with pre-2004 trends. For more on this, see https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ltt/howdevelop.aspx.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/lttdata/.

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