Bad News on Reading Report Card

Despite widespread efforts to boost reading achievement, the gap between fourth-grade minority and white students is wider than ever. And the divide between the highest- and lowest-performing students in reading has widened, as well. Those are the findings of the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the "nation's report card." The latest results show that the average score for the nationally representative sample of students was 217 on a 500-point scale—the exact same score for tests administered in 1992 and 1998.

Overall, slightly fewer than one-fourth of students were considered "proficient"—the standard set for all children to meet. About 37 percent did not even meet the basic level. Experts say that the results point to a need for a greater focus on early literacy for children who need it most. "On the average, there has been no improvement in the reading skills for fourth graders across the nation," says Gary W. Phillips, the acting commissioner of education statistics for the Department of Education. "There isn't a lot of good news in this report."