Educational Performance and Attainment

Educational Performance

Racial and ethnic differences in academic performance are usually measured through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, which are administered annually to randomly selected students in every state. The students are selected in such a way as to ensure the sample is representative of all elementary school students. The tests are administered in a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, reading, science, and geography, to elementary school students (Grades 3–8). Test scores can range between 0 and 500. The tests are created in such a way that theoretically all students could score 500 points. The tests are designed to measure achievement levels. A basic achievement level indicates a partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at a given grade. A proficient level indicates a solid academic performance in that students demonstrate competency in challenging subject matter. An advanced level indicates a superior performance. For fourth-grade reading tests, a score of 208 indicates a basic level of mastery, 238 is proficient, and 268 is advanced. For eighth-grade reading tests, a score of 243 indicates a basic level of mastery, 281 is proficient, and 323 is advanced. For fourth-grade mathematics, a score of 214 indicates a basic level of mastery, 249 is proficient, and 282 is advanced. For eighth grade, the numbers are 262 basic, 299 proficient and 333 advanced.

Despite early drops in the educational gap between Whites and Blacks in achievement after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, recent statistics demonstrate that racial and ethnic differences in educational performance continue. Although the racial gap was decreasing, there was a noticeable leveling off after 1988, and, in some years, an increase in the gap between Black and White students. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the gap no longer seems to be increasing, and for some grades and racial and ethnic groups, the gap seems to be decreasing.

Table 1 provides the most recently available average scores for Black, Asian American, Hispanic American, Native American, and White fourth-grade and eighth-grade students in mathematics and reading, the two areas directly addressed in the NCLB. Race and ethnicity are based on self-reports. The results demonstrate that some minority groups are doing poorly, but students in one minority group—Asian Americans—are scoring equal to or greater than White students in the key subjects of reading and math.

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