Reading 2009 - African American Communication and Collaboration ...

GRADE
4
Female students score
higher than male
students
Female students scored 7 points higher
on average than male students in 2009,
which was not significantly different from
the score gaps in either 2007 or 1992
(figure 7). Average reading scores for
male and female students in 2009
remained unchanged from 2007.
Results by family income
level show no significant
change since 2007
NAEP uses students’ eligibility for the
National School Lunch Program as an
indicator of low income. Students from
lower-income families are eligible for either
free or reduced-price school lunches, while
students from higher-income families are
not (see the Technical Notes for eligibility
criteria).
Students who were not eligible have
typically scored higher on average than
those eligible for reduced-price lunch, who
in turn scored higher than those eligible for
free lunch (figure 8). The scores for all
three groups showed no significant change
from 2007 to 2009 but remained higher
than in 2003.
Figure 7. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP reading average scores and score gaps, by gender
Scale score
500
240
230
220
210
200
190
180
0
Figure 8. Trend in fourth-grade NAEP reading average scores, by
eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch
Scale score
500
240
230
220
210
200
190
0
221*
213*
229*
220*
209*
8 10* 6 5 11* 6 7 6 7 7
230*
211* 212*
199* 201*
232
215
203
232
216
204
’03 ’05 ’07 ’09
* Significantly different (p < .05) from 2009.
220* 217* 219*
214* 212*
208*
’92 ’94 ’98 ’00 ’02 ’03 ’05 ’07
Accommodations not permitted
222* 222* 222*
215* 215* 216*
* Significantly different (p < .05) from 2009.
NOTE: Score gaps are calculated based on differences between unrounded average scores.
NOT ELIGIBLE
ELIGIBLE FOR REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH
ELIGIBLE FOR FREE LUNCH
Year
224
218
224
218
’09
Accommodations permitted
FEMALE
MALE
SCORE GAP
Year
Table 3. Percentage of students assessed in fourth-grade NAEP
reading, by eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunch:
Various years, 2003–09
Eligibility status 2003 2005 2007 2009
Eligible for free lunch 32* 34* 35* 38
Eligible for reduced-price lunch 8* 7* 6 6
Not eligible 50 50 52* 50
Information not available 10* 8* 7 7
* Significantly different (p < .05) from 2009.
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
Some changes were seen since 2007 in the
proportion of fourth-graders eligible for the
National School Lunch Program. The percentage
of fourth-graders eligible for free lunch increased
from 35 percent in 2007 to 38 percent in 2009,
while the percentage of students who were
not eligible decreased from 52 to 50 percent
(table 3). There was no change in the percentage
of students eligible for reduced-price lunch
from 2007 to 2009.
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.
12 THE NATION’S REPORT CARD