New Hampshire Students Remain Among Top Performers in the Nation in Reading According to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

March 24, 2010

The reading results for the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show students in both grade four and grade eight performed very well when compared to the rest of the nation. New Hampshire (NH) fourth graders scored higher than their cohorts in 44 other jurisdictions and scored similarly to 6 (six) others. One jurisdiction scored higher. NH eighth graders scored higher than 39 other jurisdictions, scored similarly to 12 others, and no jurisdiction scored higher. There were 52 jurisdictions (states, territories, and the Department of Defense) that participated in the assessment and involved nearly 173,000 students from the sampled schools in the various jurisdictions. The reading results are in keeping with NH students consistent scoring above the national average in all grades and subjects.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also commonly known as "the Nation's Report Card," and is conducted at both the state and the national level. This assessment has been focusing on what America's students know and are capable of doing in various subject areas since 1969. The 2009 NAEP reading assessment measures students' comprehension of literary and informational passages. Within the passages vocabulary is also assessed. The results from the 2009 assessment are compared to those from previous years, showing how students' performance in reading has progressed over time.

This cycle marks the fourth consecutive NAEP State Assessment in which NH has participated (2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009). The state-level NAEP assessment is conducted every two years and requires a representative sample from grades 4 and 8. NAEP selects a representative sample of students by first randomly selecting schools and then selecting the students within those schools who will participate in a given NAEP assessment. Because of the matrix sampling NAEP does not provide individual scores for students or schools.

The NH reading sample size was nearly 3,000 students per grade and included 160 schools at grade four and over 90 schools at grade eight. The scores are given as an aggregate average scale score for the state resulting from the grade-appropriate performance of the stratified random sample. The NAEP scores for reading are based upon a 0-500 scale.

Grade 4 Reading

• The average scale score for NH fourth-grade public school students is 229. This is significantly higher than the corresponding score for the Nation, 220.
• NH fourth graders scored higher than their classmates in 44 other jurisdictions and scored similarly to 6 (six) others. One jurisdiction, Massachusetts (scale score of 234), scored significantly higher than New Hampshire for this grade.
• The average scale score for NH fourth graders (229) in the 2009 assessment is consistent with scores achieved since the first assessment in 1992 (228).
• Seventy-seven (77%) of the assessed fourth-grade students in NH scored At-or-Above the NAEP Basic achievement level. This is an increase of 1% from 2007.
• The percentage of fourth-grade students in NH who performed At-or-above Basic was greater than that of the Nation (77% vs. 66%).
• The percentage of students in NH who performed At-or-above the NAEP Proficient achievement level was also greater than that of the Nation (41% vs. 32%).
• The percentage of grade four students in NH who performed at the NAEP Advanced level was greater than that of the Nation (9% vs. 7%).

Grade 8 Reading

• The average scale score for NH eighth-grade students is 271. This is significantly higher than the corresponding score for the Nation, 262.
• NH eighth-graders scored higher than 39 other jurisdictions and scored similarly to 12 others. No other jurisdiction scored significantly higher than NH for this grade level.
• The average scale score for NH eighth graders (271) in the 2009 assessment is consistent with scores achieved since the first state-level grade-eight reading assessment in 2003 (also 271).
• Eighty-one percent (81%) of the assessed grade eight students in NH scored At-or-Above the NAEP Basic achievement level.
• Thirty-nine percent (39%) of the assessed grade eight students in NH scored At-or-Above the NAEP Proficient achievement level.
• The percentage of grade eight students in NH who performed At-or-above the NAEP Basic achievement level was greater than that of the Nation (81% vs. 74%).
• The percentage of grade eight students in NH who performed At-or-above the NAEP Proficient achievement level was greater than that of the Nation (39% vs. 30%).
• The percentage of grade eight students in NH who performed at the NAEP Advanced level was greater than that of the Nation (4% vs. 2%).

For more information on New Hampshire's NAEP results visit www.education.nh.gov/instruction/assessment/necap or contact David Gebhardt, NH NAEP Coordinator at (603) 271-2298 or dgebhardt@ed.state.nh.us. For a complete set of national results, visit www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.