Some Urban Districts Show Progress in Math NAEP

Upward trend continues for students in NA EP’s ‘large city’ category

Fourth and 8th graders in the country’s large cities have made progress in math over the past two years as measured by a national test, but the performance in several urban areas was stagnant—and in some cases, lagged behind that of other districts by vast margins.

By one measure, advocates for urban schools could be encouraged by the results on the Trial Urban District Assessment , a special administration of the National Assessment of Educational Progress .

Scores among students in the “large city” category, or areas with populations of 250,000 or more, rose by statistically relevant margins in both grades 4 and 8 between 2007 and 2009, continuing an upward trend from six years ago, when the NAEP urban...