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Classroom Context: Teacher Major/Minor

 

As part of the 2009 reading assessment, teachers of fourth- and eighth-graders were asked about their undergraduate and graduate education in reading/language arts as well as in other subject areas. The tables below, which focus only on reading/language arts and general education degrees earned, provide the percentages and average scores of students whose teachers responded within each category shown.

Grade 4
Grade 8

Eighth-graders whose teachers reported having an undergraduate major in English (267) scored higher than those with teachers who reported having a minor (266) or not having a degree in English (261).

Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part of your undergraduate coursework?

  Average scale scores
Subject Major Minor/special emphasis Neither
Reading, language arts, or literacy education 264 265 264
English 267 266 261
Other language arts-related subject 266 265 264
Elementary or secondary education 266 266 262

 

Eighth-graders whose teachers reported having a graduate major in English (267) scored higher than those with teachers who reported not having a degree in English (264).

Did you have a major, minor, or special emphasis in any of the following subjects as part of your graduate coursework?

  Average scale scores
Subject Major Minor/special emphasis Neither
Reading, language arts, or literacy education 266 264 264
English 267 265 264
Other language arts-related subject 266 264 265
Elementary or secondary education 266 263 264

NOTE: The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. See complete data for teacher undergraduate major or minor in reading education, English, other language arts-related subject, or education. See complete data for teacher graduate major or minor in reading education, English, other language arts-related subject, or education.
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.