National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics and Reading Assessments Results

The release of Grades 4 and 8 Mathematics and Reading results for the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as “the Nation’s Report Card,” given to New Hampshire students last school year reflects the continued academic success of New Hampshire students. Along with Massachusetts, Minnesota, Indiana, and Virginia, New Hampshire grade 4 students, on average, continue to have the highest performance compared to grade 4 students in all other states and jurisdictions throughout the nation on the NAEP Mathematics assessment.

For Reading, New Hampshire grade 4 students retained their standing as one of the top-six highest performing states in the nation with only Massachusetts having achievement that was statistically higher. For grade 8, New Hampshire students reached achievement levels in both subjects that ranked New Hampshire at the top for 2015. For Mathematics and Reading, New Hampshire grade 8 students are one of the top-four highest performing states in the nation.

"It is reassuring to know that our students, teachers, parents and the encompassing educational communities throughout New Hampshire continue to strive for the excellence reflected in our NAEP results," New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry shared. "And as much as we are satisfied with our continued success, we acknowledge that there are numerous opportunities for future academic growth and improvement in all subjects and at all grade levels."

New Hampshire students saw Average Scale Score and At-or-Above Proficient remain statistically unchanged in 2015 compared to the previous NAEP assessment in 2013, with the exception of a minor drop for grade 4 Mathematics, which was experienced by a majority of states. For grade 4, there was a scale score decrease of four points in Mathematics from 253 to 249 and an eight-percent decrease in the percentage of grade 4 students reaching an achievement level of at-or-above proficient. In Reading, grade 4 New Hampshire students saw no scale score change between 2013 and 2015 while experiencing a one-percent increase with students achieving at-or-above proficient. For grade 8, New Hampshire students saw no statistically significant average scale score change in Mathematics, dropping slightly from 296 in 2013 to 294 in 2015, with a one percentage point reduction in students achieving at-or-above proficient. For Reading, New Hampshire grade 8 students had a one point average scale score increase from 274 in 2013 to 275 in 2015 and a one-percent increase in the percentage of students reaching an achievement level of at-or-above proficient. For complete NAEP 2015 Mathematics and Reading sub-group results and trend analysis, visit the NH Department of Education NAEP webpage.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is conducted at both the state and the national level. For both grades, 4 and 8, the Scale Scores were set ranging from 0 to 500. With respect to achievement levels for the assessment, the Proficient level represents solid academic performance with a demonstration of competency of challenging subject matter. For the NAEP 2015 Mathematics assessment, nearly 135,000 grade 4 students and 133,000 grade 8 students were assessed nationwide. In New Hampshire, approximately 2,200 grade 4 students and 2,300 grade 8 students were assessed. For the NAEP 2015 Reading assessment, approximately 134,000 grade 4 students and 132,000 grade 8 students were assessed nationwide. In New Hampshire, approximately 2,200 grade 4 students and 2,300 grade 8 students were assessed. The New Hampshire students selected from both grades and for both NAEP assessments resembled the actual demographics of the entire New Hampshire student population for both grades.For questions regarding New Hampshire’s NAEP 2015 Mathematics and Reading results, contact Tim Eccleston, New Hampshire’s NAEP Program Administrator at (603) 271-2298 or Timothy.Eccleston@doe.nh.gov. Additional NAEP information can be found at the Nation’s Report Card Website.