• Reading scores remain flat.
• Math scores show improvement.
• Gap between white and minority students remains wide.
• Private school students continue to outperform.

Overall scores are presented on a 0 - 500 point scale. The overall fourth-grade average reading score of 218 was not measurably different from the average score recorded in either 1992 or in 2002. The current eighth grade average reading score of 263, while higher than in 1992, showed a decrease of one point from 2002.

Students performed better in mathematics. The fourth grade average math score of 235 was the highest average score attained in any assessment year. The same is true of the current eighth grade average math score of 278.

Despite gains achieved by minority students (particularly, by African-Americans) at both the fourth and eighth grade levels, the gap between test scores of White and minority students remains alarmingly large. As an example, the disparity between eighth grade math scores achieved by African-American and White students remained the same in 2003 as it was in 1990. The current gap in reading scores is not significantly different from that evidenced by scores in 1992.

Private school students continued to achieve test scores that were significantly higher than those obtained by their public school counterparts, as the following tables demonstrate.

NAEP 2003 Math Scale Scores			NAEP 2003 Reading Scale Scores
Grade	Private Schools	Public Schools	Grade	Private Schools	Public Schools
Grade 4	244	235	Grade 4	235	218
Grade 8	292	276	Grade 8	282	263

NAEP 2003 Math: Percent of Students at or Above Key Levels
Grade 4	Private Schools	Public Schools
Basic	88	76
Proficient	44	31
Advanced	6	4
Grade 8
Basic	82	67
Proficient	43	27
Advanced	10	5
NAEP 2003 Reading: Percent of Students at or Above Key Levels
Grade 4	Private Schools	Public Schools
Basic	80	62
Proficient	48	30
Advanced	14	7
Grade 8
Basic	90	72
Proficient	53	30
Advanced	8	3

Scores were also reported on the basis of percentages achieving at or above performance levels designated as "Basic," "Proficient," and "Advanced."

As is demonstrated by the data in the accompanying tables, private school students demonstrated uniformly higher levels of performance at both grade levels.

For more information about the results of the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress, visit the NAEP web site.