The Nation's Report Card: Writing 2007

The writing skills of eighth- and twelfth-graders improved in 2007 compared to earlier assessment years, with gains across many student groups.

Nationally representative samples of more than 165,000 eighth- and twelfth-graders participated in the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing assessment (the assessment was not administered at grade 4 in 2007). Each student responded to 2 out of 17 possible writing tasks intended to measure one of three purposes for writing: narrative, informative, or persuasive.

Results are presented nationally for both eighth- and twelfth-graders, and in participating states and urban districts only for eighth-graders. Comparing the results of the 2007 writing assessment to results from previous years shows the progress eighth- and twelfth-graders are making in improving writing skills.

Scores increase in 2007 for both eighth- and twelfth-graders nationally

Average writing scores were higher in 2007 than in previous assessments in 2002 and 1998. Increases were also seen since 2002 in percentages of students performing at or above the Basic achievement level but not at or above Proficient.

At grade 8 in 2007

• The average writing score was 3 points higher than in 2002 and 6 points higher than in 1998.
• The percentage of students performing at or above the Basic level increased from 85 percent in 2002 to 88 percent and was also higher than in 1998.
• The percentage of students performing at or above the Proficient level was higher than in 1998 but showed no significant change since 2002.

At grade 12 in 2007

• The average writing score was 5 points higher than in 2002 and 3 points higher than in 1998.
• The percentage of students performing at or above the Basic level increased from 74 percent in 2002 to 82 percent and was also higher than in 1998.
• The percentage of students performing at or above the Proficient level was higher than in 1998 but showed no significant change since 2002.

Most racial/ethnic groups gain

As shown in the chart below, average writing scores increased since 2002 for White, Black, and Asian/Pacific Islander students at both grades. The average score for Hispanic eighth-graders was higher in 2007 than in both previous assessments, while there was no significant change for Hispanic students at grade 12.

Some racial/ethnic and gender gaps are closing

Gains for minority students and male students have contributed to the narrowing of some gaps. At grade 8, the 6-point increase in the average score for Black students from 2002 to 2007 contributed to a smaller gap between White and Black students than in both previous assessments.

At grade 12, an 8-point increase for male students since 2002 contributed to a narrowing of the male – female gap in comparison to 2002, but there was no significant change in comparison to the gap in 1998.

Student groups	Grade 8		Grade 12
	Since 1998	Since 2002	Since 1998	Since 2002
Overall
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/ Alaska Native
Male
Female
White – Black gap
White – Hispanic gap
Female – Male gap