The Nation’s Report Card: 12th Grade Reading and Mathematics Results

Results from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, published by the National Center for Education Statistics in November 2010, show that the nation’s high school seniors made modest gains in reading and math.

On the 500-point scale used in the reading assessment, the average high school senior scored 288 on the test, up from 286 in 2005, the last year for which data are available. On the 300-point scale used in the math assessment, the average 12th grader scored 153, up from 150 in 2005. Although these increases indicate a moderate rise in achievement, the scores are still cause for concern, according to analysts. The scores mean that 38 percent of seniors demonstrated proficiency in reading and 26 percent reached proficiency in math. Additionally, scores remain lower than they were in 1992 and white students are still outperforming their black and Hispanic peers.

The tests, also called The Nation’s Report Card, were given to a nationally representative sample of approximately 52,000 students in reading and 49,000 students in math. They were administered by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

Read the report.