Classroom Context: Time Spent on Language Arts

As part of the 2009 reading assessment, teachers of fourth- and eighth-graders were asked about the number of hours they spent on language arts instruction per week. The full text of the question, corresponding percentages, and average scores of students whose teachers responded in each category are below.

How many hours of language arts instruction do your students receive in a typical week?

A. Less than 3 hours
B. 3–4.9 hours
C. 5–6.9 hours
D. 7–9.9 hours
E. 10 or more hours

Grade 4

Grade 8

Average Scores

Percentage of Students

Eighth-graders who received less than three hours of language arts instruction per week (256) scored lower than those who received between 3 and 4.9 (269) and those who received between 5 and 6.9 (264) hours of instruction.

scale scores, grade 8, time spent on math instruction

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. See complete data.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Reading Assessment.

Browse questionnaires for the NAEP assessments.