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The purpose of this report is to examine aspects of oral reading performance--accuracy, rate, and fluency--that cannot be observed from results of the main NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) reading assessment. The results provided here are intended to inform educators and researchers about these three aspects of fourth-graders' oral reading performance and how they relate to their overall reading ability as measured by the 2002 reading assessment. This study focuses on one relevant, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of reading performance--oral reading ability. Oral reading performance, measured by the components of accuracy, rate, and fluency, constitutes a cluster of critical literacy proficiencies and functions as a significant indicator of overall reading ability. The report is divided into the following chapters: (1) Introduction; (2) Oral Reading Accuracy; (3) Oral Reading Rate; (4) Reading Fluency; and (5) Summary of Oral Reading Study Results. Appended are: (1) Overview of Procedures Used for the NAEP 2002 Oral Reading Study; (2) Oral Reading Passage and Questions to Prompt Students' Recall of the Passage; and (3) Standard Errors. (Contains 28 tables and 26 figures.) [Project Officer for this report was Arnold Goldstein.]

This report presents the results of the 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment for the nation and for the participating states and jurisdictions. Comparisons are made to students' performance in the national assessments of 1992, 1994, and 1998 at grades 4, 8, and 12. Comparison data are given within and across participating states and jurisdictions for 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002 at grades 4 and 8. Additional comparisons for national and cross-state/jurisdictional data are given for the 2000 assessment at grade 4 only. Student performance is reported in terms of average scale scores on the NAEP reading scale and by the percentages of students who attained the achievement levels set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). In addition, the report presents percentile distributions and demographic subgroup results for the nation, including results by gender, race/ethnicity, student eligibility for free/reduced-price school lunch, Title I, parents' highest level of education, type of school, and type of school location. For participating states and jurisdictions, performance results for subgroups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and student eligibility for free/reduced-price school lunch are presented. The report also includes sample assessment questions for grades 4, 8, and 12, including multiple-choice, short constructed-response, and extended constructed-response items, along with examples of student responses to all three item types. Rationales for the scores of constructed responses are included. Maps of selected fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade items on the NAEP reading scale and descriptions of the framework specified knowledge or skills each item addresses are presented. Appendices include information on national and state samples, school and student participation rates, participation and accommodation of students with disabilities and/or limited-English-proficient students, subgroup percentages, state-level contextual variables, and sample texts from the NAEP 2002 reading assessment. (RS)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the nation's only ongoing representative sample survey of student achievement in core subject areas. In 2001, NAEP conducted a national United States history assessment of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students. This report presents a summary of the results of the NAEP 2001 U.S. history assessment for the nation. Results in 2001 are compared to results in 1994, the next most recent year in which the NAEP conducted a U.S. history assessment and the only other assessment year in which the test questions were based on the current framework. Students' performance on the assessment is described in terms of average scores on a 0-500 scale and in terms of the percentage of students attaining 3 achievement levels: (1) Basic; (2) Proficient; and (3) Advanced. The report provides results for subgroups of students at the three grade levels defined by various background and contextual characteristics. Appended are an overview of the procedures used in the NAEP assessment and data collection. (BT)

This report presents the results of a study conducted during the 1995-1996 school year to evaluate the educational progress of 12th grade students taking advanced biology, chemistry, and physics courses. The study was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in association with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The results reported in this document include information on the science courses students were taking, their academic achievement, and performance results for the selected questions. Chapters include: (1) Overview of the 1996 Advanced Science Study; (2) Science Course-Taking and Student Performance; and (3) Sample Questions and Student Responses. The appendices contain scoring guides for sample questions from the advanced science study, an overview of procedures used for the NAEP advanced science study and standard errors. (YDS)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the nation's only ongoing representative sample survey of student achievement in core subject areas. In 2000, NAEP conducted a national mathematics assessment of fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students. State-level results were also collected at the fourth and eighth grades within participating states and jurisdictions. This report presents the results of the NAEP 2000 mathematics assessment for the nation and the states. Comparisons are made to performance in previous national assessments in 1990, 1992, and 1996 at grades 4, 8, and 12. Comparison data are given both within and across participating jurisdictions for 1992, 1996, and 2000 at grade 4, and for 1990, 1992, 1996, and 2000 at grade 8. Student performance is reported in terms of average scale scores on the NAEP mathematics scale and by the percentages of students who attained the achievement levels set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). In addition, percentile distributions and demographic subgroup results are presented, including results by gender, race/ethnicity, region of the country, type of school location, school type, and student eligibility for the free/reduced price lunch program. One chapter focuses on a second set of results that includes the performance of special needs students who were permitted accommodations in the test administration, both in the national and state samples. The report features information on contexts for learning mathematics including teacher characteristics, classroom practices, use of computers/calculators, student attitudes toward mathematics, and out-of-classroom activities. The report also includes sample test questions and examples of student responses. (ASK)

Civics education in the nation's schools informs students about the structures, functions, and processes of government and about the meaningful ways in which citizens can make decisions about public issues and participate in governance. This report, part of the Nation's Report Card program and based on findings from the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), provides a view of student achievement in civics over a 10-year period from 1988 to 1998. In 1998, NAEP conducted two national assessments of student civics knowledge in grades 4, 8, and 12. One assessment employed a set of new test specifications, while the other assessment was a special study that repeated a number of multiple-choice test questions used in 1988. The special study results are reported here as a summary of trends in student knowledge and classroom teacher practices over the 10-year period. Results are based on the assessment of a student sample at each grade that is statistically representative of the entire nation. Student performance is described in terms of average percentage correct, rather than the traditional NAEP scaled scores. The report provides results for subgroups of students defined by various background and contextual characteristics. Analysis focuses on differences between 1988 and 1998, rather than differences among groups within each year. To illustrate the civics knowledge that was assessed, numerous samples of test questions are provided. The report also explores trends in the classroom coverage of civics topics from 1988 to 1998, as well as trends in classroom instructional activities over the decade. Four appendices are included: (1) "Overview of Procedures Used in the 1988 and 1998 NAEP Civics Special Study"; (2) "Standard Errors"; (3) "Average Percentage Correct"; and (4) "Members of the NAEP Civics Standing Committee." (Contains approximately 95 tables and figures.) (BT)