The Nation's Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress in Reading and Math 2008

The National Center for Education Statistics has released its 2008 report card on long-term assessements for reading and mathematics. The assessment was administered to children in the 2007-08 school year at the ages of 9, 13 and 17. The assessments make it possible to chart educational success since the 1970s. In reading, average scores in all three age groups increased since 2004. In math, average scores for 9- and 13-year-olds increased since 2004, but the average score for 17-year-olds did not change significantly. The report also states that black students made greater gains from the ealry 1970s than white students, and most racial/ethnic score gaps have narrowed since the first assessment.