National findings since the previous assessments in 1996 and 2000 show:
- 4th grade students scored higher than either previous year, and lower-performing students made the largest gains since 2000.
- 8th graders’ overall performance remained unchanged compared with either previous year; gains by lower-income students narrowed the gap since 2000.
- Scores for 12th graders remain unchanged since the last assessment, but are lower than in 1996. However, the White-Black gap has widened since 2000.
