Gender and Testing

Analysis of standardized test results has revealed consistent differences in average levels of performance between different groups, including differences in the performance of males and females. These are referred to as achievement gaps when one group outperforms another and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant; the differences between the scores of males and females are often referred to as the gender gap. This entry describes differences between average scores of males and females on certain standardized tests and discusses some of the possible reasons for those differences.

A 2013 report on the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend assessments of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students found that female students scored higher in reading than male students ...