Mathematics Trends in 2008

• The overall average mathematics scores for 9- and 13-year-olds were higher in 2008 when compared to all previous assessments. However, there was no significant change in the scores of 17-year-olds in comparison to either 2004 or 1973.  More...
• Compared to previous years, the level of improvement shown in the mathematics scores of lower-, middle-, and higher-performing 9- and 13-year-olds varied, but there was no significant improvement shown by 17-year-olds at any performance level. More...
• Both male and female 9-year-olds had higher mathematics scores in 2008 compared to all previous assessment years. At age 13, the mathematics score for male students increased since 2004. More...
• In 2008, there was no significant change in the White – Black or White – Hispanic score gaps compared to 2004; however, since 1973, Black and Hispanic students have made greater gains than White students. More...
• Scores of public school students in 2008 at all three ages (9, 13, and 17) increased compared to 1978. More...

Reading Trends in 2008

• Overall, the national trend in reading showed improvement from 2004 to 2008 for students at all three ages (9, 13, and 17). More...
• The reading scores of lower-performing 9- and 13-year-old students in 2008 showed improvement compared to 2004. More...
• At all three ages, the reading scores for male students were higher in 2008 than in 2004. More...
• In 2008, White, Black, and Hispanic 9-year-olds scored higher in reading than in all previous assessments. The gaps between White and Black students and between White and Hispanic students showed no significant change in 2008 compared to 2004, but narrowed compared to the first assessment year. More...
• Public school students at all three ages increased their reading scores in 2008 compared to 2004. More...

About the 2008 Long-Term Trend Assessment

The long-term trend results in mathematics and reading presented on this website were obtained through the cooperation of schools, teachers, and students across the nation. Because the long-term trend assessments use different questions from those used in the main assessments, and because students are sampled by age rather than by grade as in the main assessments, it is not possible to compare results from the two assessment programs. Read more about the differences between long-term trend and main NAEP assessments. See more information about the long-term trend assessment, including procedures used to collect data and the number of students who participated in the 2008 administration.

Results are presented on this website in terms of average scale scores, performance levels, and percentiles. Performance levels for the long-term trend assessment differ from the achievement levels reported with main NAEP assessment results. For more information, read descriptions of the performance levels for the long-term trend mathematics and reading assessments.

In 2004, a number of changes were made to the long-term trend assessment to update the assessment content and procedures while continuing to maintain the integrity of the long-term trend. Some of the changes included replacing questions that were based on outdated contexts; changing some administration procedures; and, most notably, providing accommodations for students with disabilities and for English language learners. These revisions did not alter the knowledge and skills that are assessed by the long-term trend assessments. To ensure that results from the revised assessment format could be validly compared to results from earlier assessments, a special bridge study was conducted in 2004. The 2008 results can be compared to previous years because of extensive linking procedures, including the bridge study in 2004 which takes into account several changes in the assessment procedures. In the tables and figures on this website, results from 2004 are shown for both the original and revised versions of the assessments. While two sets of results are presented for 2004, comparisons between 2004 and 2008 are discussed based on the results for students assessed with the revised assessment format.