Classroom Context: Class Reading Discussion

As part of the 2009 reading assessment, fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders were asked how often they had class discussions about something the class was reading together. The full text of the question, corresponding percentages, and average scores of students who responded in each category are below.

Now think about reading and writing you do for school. For your English class this year, how often do you have a class discussion about something that the whole class has read?

A. Never or hardly ever
B. A few times a year
C. Once or twice a month
D. At least once a week

Percentage of Students

Twelfth-graders who reported having a class discussion at least once a week (295) scored higher than those who reported having a class discussion once or twice a month (281), a few times a year (271), or never or hardly ever (266).

scale scores, grade 12, class reading discussion

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.