In 2007, students in grades 4 and 8 showed improvements from all previous assessments at all mathematics achievement levels.

The percentages of 4th- and 8th-grade students performing at or above the Basic, at or above the Proficient, and at the Advanced achievement levels were higher on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics Assessment than on all previous mathematics assessments (see table A-13-1). For example, the percentage of 4th-grade students at or above Proficient increased by 3 percentage points from 2005 to 2007 and tripled from 1990 to 2007 (13 vs. 39 percent). For 8th-grade students, the percentage scoring at or above Proficient increased by 2 percentage points from 2005 to 2007 and doubled from 1990 to 2007 (15 vs. 32 percent).

From 1990 to 2007, average NAEP mathematics scale scores increased 27 points for 4th-graders and 19 points for 8th-graders. Increases in scores were seen for both males and females and for most racial/ethnic groups. Both male and female 4th- and 8th-graders scored higher in 2007 than in any of the previous assessments (see table A-13-2). In 2007, at each grade, males outscored females by 2 points; these score gaps were not measurably different from the gaps in either 2005 or 1990.

For grade 4, average mathematics scores in 2007 for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander students were higher than the scores in any of the previous assessments since 1990. Although the score for American Indian/Alaska Native 4th-grade students increased over time, it did not differ measurably between 2005 and 2007. In mathematics, the achievement gap between White and Black 4th-graders was smaller in 2007 than in 1990 (26 vs. 32 points), but there was no measurable change over the last 2 years (between 2005 and 2007). The gap between White and Hispanic 4th-graders increased in the 1990s before decreasing in the first half of the 2000s, but the gap in 2007 (21 points) was not measurably different from that in 1990.

For grade 8, average mathematics scores in 2007 for White, Black, and Hispanic students were higher than in any of the previous assessments. The average score for 8th-grade Asian/Pacific Islander students in 2007 was higher than their score in 1990, but not measurably different from their score in 2005. No measurable differences were detected in the scores for American Indian/Alaska Native 8th-graders between 1990 and 2007. The White-Black 8th-grade mathematics gap was smaller in 2007 than in 2005, but there was no measurable change in the White-Hispanic gap between these years. In 2007, among 8th-graders, the White-Black mathematics gap was 32 points, and the White-Hispanic gap was 26 points.

NAEP results also permit state-level comparisons of the mathematics abilities of 4th- and 8th-graders in public schools. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia participated in both the 1992 and 2007 4th-grade assessments, and 37 states and the District of Columbia participated in both the 1990 and 2007 8th-grade assessments. For each of these participating states (including the District of Columbia) and at each grade level, there was an increase in the average score as well as in the percentage of students scoring at or above the Basic and at or above the Proficient achievement levels (see table A-13-3).

Technical Notes

NAEP mathematics scores range from 0 to 500. The achievement levels define what students should know and be able to do: Basic indicates partial mastery of fundamental skills; Proficient indicates demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter; and Advanced indicates superior performance. For more information on NAEP, see supplemental note 4. For more information on race/ethnicity, see supplemental note 1.