APPENDIX A 469TABLE 32
Reading Achievement: Average Scale Scores of Students Ages 9, 13, and 17 by Age and Child and Family Characteristics,
Selected Years 1980– 1996Characteristic 1980 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996
Age 9
Total 215 211 212 209 211 211 212
Gender
Male 2 1 0 2 0 8 2 0 8 2 0 4 2 0 6 2 0 7 2 0 7
Female 220 214 216 215 215 215 218
Race and Hispanic origin
White 221 218 218 217 218 218 220
Black 189 186 189 182 185 185 190
Hispanica 190 187 194 189 192 186 194
Age 13
Total 259 257 258 257 260 258 259
Gender
Male 2 5 4 2 5 3 2 5 2 2 5 1 2 5 4 2 5 1 2 5 3
Female 263 262 263 263 265 266 265
Race and Hispanic origin
White 264 263 261 262 266 265 267
Black 233 236 243 242 238 234 236
Hispanica 237 240 240 238 239 235 240
Parents’ education
Less than high school 239 240 247 241 239 237 241
Graduated high school 254 253 253 251 252 251 252
Some education after high school 271 268 265 267 270 269 270
Age 17
Total 286 289 290 290 290 288 287
Gender
Male 2 8 2 2 8 4 2 8 6 2 8 4 2 8 4 2 8 2 2 8 0
Female 289 294 294 297 296 295 294
Race and Hispanic origin
White 293 295 295 297 297 296 294
Black 243 264 274 267 261 266 265
Hispanica 261 268 271 275 271 263 265
Parents’ education
Less than high school 262 269 267 270 271 268 267
Graduated high school 278 281 282 283 281 276 273
Some education after high school 299 301 300 300 299 299 297
aPersons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Note: Data on parents’ level of education are not reliable for 9-year-olds.
The reading proficiency scale has a range from 0 to 500:
Level 150: Simple, discrete reading tasks
Level 200: Partial skills and understanding
Level 250: Interrelates ideas and makes generalizations
Level 300: Understands complicated information
Level 350: Learns from specialized reading materials
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
1996 Trends in academic progress.cde_appx_A 8/29/03 8:21 AM Page 469