A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Indicator 33. Mathematics Proficiency

Mathematics proficiency, by age and by selected characteristics of students: 1978 and 1990

_____________________________________________________________________       Selected       |  9-year-olds  |  13-year-olds |17-year-olds1/    characteristics   |_______________|_______________|_______________      of students     | 1978  | 1990  | 1978  | 1990  | 1978  | 1990 _____________________|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______|_______       All students ...   219     230     264     270     300     305  Sex   Male ...............   217     229     264     271     304     306   Female .............   220     230     265     270     297     303  Race/ethnicity   White ..............   224     235     272     276     306     310   Black ..............   192     208     230     249     268     289   Hispanic ...........   203     214     238     255     276     284  Television watched  per day   0 to 2 hours .......   ---     231     ---     277     305     312   3 to 5 hours .......   ---     234     ---     271     296     300   6 or more hours ....   ---     221     ---     258     279     287  Reading materials in  the home2/   0 to 2 items .......   201     196     239     240     277     271   3 items ............   221     211     260     255     296     286   4 items ............   231     226     275     266     308     299 _____________________________________________________________________ 

1/All participants of this age group were in school.
2/The 4 items in the scale were: newspaper subscription; magazine subscription; more than 25 books in the home; and encyclopedia in the home.

NOTE: The NAEP scores range from 0 to 500, but have been evaluated at certain performance levels. Performers at the 150 level know some basic addition and subtraction facts, and most can add two-digit numbers without regrouping. They recognize simple situations in which addition and subtraction apply. Performers at the 200 level have considerable understanding of two-digit numbers and know some basic multiplication and division facts. Performers at the 250 level have an initial understanding of the four basic operations. They can also compare information from graphs and charts, and are developing an ability to analyze simple logical relations. Performers at the 300 level can compute decimals, simple fractions, and percents. They can identify geometric figures, measure lengths and angles, and calculate areas of rectangles. They are developing the skills to operate with signed numbers, exponents, and square roots. Performers at the 350 level can apply a range of reasoning skills to solve multi-step problems. They can solve routine problems involving fractions and percents, recognize properties of basic geometric figures, and work with exponents and square roots.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress, Trends in Academic Progress, prepared by Educational Testing Service.