Reading 2009 - African American Communication and Collaboration ...

GRADE
4
Private school
students outperform
public school students
In 2009, the average reading score
for fourth-graders attending public
schools was 15 points lower than the
overall score for students attending
private schools, and 16 points lower
than students in Catholic schools
specifically (figure 6).
There were no significant changes
in the average scores for students
attending public schools, private
schools, or Catholic schools from
2007 to 2009. The 15-point score
gap between private and public
school students in 2009 was not
significantly different from the gaps
in 2007 or 1992.
It is important to note that there may
be many reasons why private school
students perform differently, on
average, from public school students.
Differences in demographic composition,
admissions policies, availability
of resources, parental involvement,
and other factors not measured in
NAEP can influence average student
achievement scores.
Figure 6. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP reading average scores, by type of school
Scale score
500
250
240
230
220
210
200
0
235
232 231 233 232
234
234
231
233 232
234 235 234
232
229* 229
229*
215* 215*
212*
213*
211*
217* 216*
217*
* Significantly different (p < .05) from 2009.
NOTE: Private schools include Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian private schools. Results are not shown for
private schools in 2005 because the participation rates fell below the required standard for reporting.
220
236
235
220
CATHOLIC
PRIVATE
PUBLIC
’92 ’94 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’03 ’05 ’07 ’09 Year
Accommodations not permitted Accommodations permitted
Table 2. Percentage of students assessed in fourth-grade NAEP reading, by type of
school: Various years, 1992–2009
Type of school 1992 1 1994 1 1998 2000 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009
Public 89* 90 90 90 90* 90* 90* 90 91
Private 11* 10 10 10 10* 10* 10 10 9
Catholic 8* 7* 6 6* 6* 5* 5* 5 4
* Significantly different (p < .05) from 2009.
1
Accommodations were not permitted in this assessment year.
NOTE: Private schools include Catholic, other religious, and nonsectarian private schools. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
Ninety-one percent of fourthgraders
attended public schools in
2009, and 9 percent attended
private schools, including 4 percent
in Catholic schools (table 2). The
percentage of students attending
public schools in 2009 was higher
than the percentage in 1992, and the
percentage of students attending
private schools was lower than in 1992.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1992–2009 Reading Assessments.
READING 2009
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