Authors: Clyde M. Reese, For more than a quarter of a century, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has reported to policy makers, educators, and the general public on the educational achievement of students in the United States. As the nation's only ongoing survey of students' educational progress, NAEP has become an important resource for obtaining information on what students know and can do. The NAEP 1996 mathematics assessment continues the mandate to evaluate and report the educational progress of students at grades 4, 8, and 12. The national results provided herein describe students' mathematics achievement at each grade and within various subgroups of the general population. State-level results for grades 4 and 8 are presented for individual states and jurisdictions that chose to participate in the 1996 state assessment. In addition, trends in performance since 1990 are reported for the nation and for states and jurisdictions that participated in the 1990, 1992, and 1996 assessments. NAEP national and state data assess the performance of students in both public and nonpublic schools. The NAEP 1996 mathematics assessment, like previous mathematics assessments in 1992 and 1990, uses a framework influenced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. The 1996 framework was updated to more adequately reflect recent curricular emphases and objectives. The framework measures a mathematics domain containing five mathematics strands (number sense, properties, and operations; measurement; geometry and spatial sense; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra and functions). In addition to the five content strands, the assessment examined mathematical abilities (conceptual understanding, procedural knowledge, and problem solving) and mathematical power (reasoning, connections, and communication). Since 1990, the NAEP mathematics assessments have placed increasing emphasis on mathematical power. The 1996 assessment deliberately focused on reasoning and communication by requiring students to connect their learning across mathematical strands. Students' mathematics performance is summarized on the NAEP mathematics scale, which ranges from 0 to 500. In addition, results for each grade are reported according to three achievement levels: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) developed and adopted the mathematics achievement levels, based on collective judgments about what students should know and be able to do in mathematics. The Basic level denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade. The Proficient level represents solid academic performance, while the Advanced level signifies superior performance. These achievement levels are still developmental, and the process for setting them remains in transition. National data from the NAEP 1996 mathematics assessment showed progress in the mathematics performance by students on a broad front, compared with both the 1990 and 1992 assessments.
Regional results showed positive trends similar to the national results for some but not all regions. NAEP divides the United States into four regions: the Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West.
State data for the NAEP 1996 mathematics assessment covered fourth graders in 47 states, territories, and other jurisdictions and eighth graders in 44 states and jurisdictions. Many but not all states and jurisdictions showed increases in mathematics performance for the 1996 assessment.
The NAEP 1996 mathematics assessment reports national results on the basis of demographic subgroups, type of school attended, participation in Title I programs, and eligibility for the
free/reduced-price lunch component of the National School Lunch Program.
NAEP has always attempted to report results that reflect the achievement of all students at a given grade or age. Logistical difficulties prevent the sampling of certain students, for example, students who receive home schooling, who are in ungraded schools, who attend special schools for the deaf and blind, or who are incarcerated. Some students who are enrolled in regular schools also present special considerations with respect to sampling -- those with disabilities and those who are limited English proficient (LEP). NAEP 1996 results indicate that 15 percent of the nation's fourth graders, 11 percent of the eighth graders, and 8 percent
of twelfth graders are classified as students with disabilities or as LEP students. Previous NAEP assessments sampled more than half of these students. The NAEP 1996 assessments investigated the feasibility of increasing the participation of students with disabilities and LEP students. Revised inclusion criteria, in combination with accommodations to remove barriers to participation, were examined to determine their impact of participation rate, for students with disabilities and LEP students. The analysis of inclusion issues featured in this report is only a first step in an ongoing research and development effort. A comprehensive research report on inclusion issues will be published later in 1997.
NCES 97-488 Ordering information
Last updated 22 March 2001 (RH)
Executive Summary 
The NAEP 1996 Mathematics Framework
Major Findings for the Nation, Regions, and States 
Major Findings for Student Subgroups
Exploring a More Inclusive NAEP
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