DoD Schools Ranked Best in the United States on Nation’s Report Card

Fourth and eighth-grade students attending Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools led the nation in scoring on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading and Mathematics Assessments.

DoDEA students' average scale scores ranged from 15 to 23 percentage points higher than corresponding national average scores and held steady or increased while national average scores decreased. DoDEA was the only state/jurisdiction to see an increase in score for any grade/subject.

DoDEA leaders focused on equity of access and continuity of instruction during the early stages of the pandemic with a rapid transition to remote learning, then worked to create conditions that enabled students to start returning to classrooms by the beginning of School Year 20-21, said Gilbert Cisneros, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. Their work, coupled with strong partnership from military commands and parents, directly supported military readiness by allowing service members with students in DoDEA schools to remain focused on their military missions.

I am delighted with our students' performance on the 2022 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments, said DoDEA Director, Thomas M. Brady. The dedication and hard work of our teachers and administrators, along with the implementation of a rigorous College and Career Ready Standards, sustained the impressive performance by DoDEA students on the 2019 NAEP despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Assessments are conducted periodically in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history. NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools; instead, it offers results regarding subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for populations of students (e.g., fourth graders) and groups within those populations (e.g., Hispanic students). NAEP results are based on a sample of student populations of interest.

DoDEA NAEP 2022

The NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments were administered using digital-based assessments (DBA) to fourth and eighth grade students in the nation's public schools. For more information about NAEP digital-based assessments, please visit https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/dba/.

The NAEP Reading and Mathematics scale scores range from 0 to 500. Achievement levels are performance standards that indicate what students should know and be able to do. NAEP results are reported in terms of three achievement levels - Basic, Proficient, and Advanced - and are expressed in terms of the percentage of students who attained each level. DoDEA participated in the NAEP reading assessment for the first time in 1998 and in mathematics in 2000.

DoDEA 2022 NAEP Reading Results

4th Grade Reading

• The average scale score for students in DoDEA in 2022 (235) was higher than that in 1998 (220) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (235).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient was 50 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (32 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient in 2022 (50 percent) was greater than that in 1998 (32 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (49 percent).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic was 80 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (61 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2022 (80 percent) was greater than that in 1998 (66 percent) and was smaller than that in 2019 (83 percent).

8th Grade Reading

• The average scale score for students in DoDEA in 2022 (282) was higher than that in 1998 (269) and in 2019 (280).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient was 55 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (29 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient in 2022 (55 percent) was greater than that in 1998 (37 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (52 percent).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic was 90 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (68 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2022 (90 percent) was greater than that in 1998 (79 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (91 percent).

Table 1 shows a comparison of reading performance scores of DoDEA students and those in national public schools.

Table 1. Historical Performance of DoDEA students on the NAEP Reading Assessment

DoDEA 2022 NAEP MATHEMATICS RESULTS

4th Grade Math

• The average scale score for students in DoDEA in 2022 (250) was higher than that in 1996 (224) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (250).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient was 51 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (35 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient in 2022 (51 percent) was greater than that in 1996 (19 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (54 percent).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic was 92 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (74 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2022 (92 percent) was greater than that in 1996 (64 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (92 percent).

8th Grade Math

• In 2022, the average mathematics scale score for eighth-grade students in DoDEA was 292. This was higher than that for the nation's public schools (273).
• The average scale score for students in DoDEA in 2022 (292) was higher than that in 1996(274) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (292).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient was 41 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (26 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Proficient in 2022 (41 percent) was greater than that in 1996 (22 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (41 percent).
• In 2022, the percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic was 82 percent. This was greater than that for the nation's public schools (60 percent).
• The percentage of students in DoDEA who performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2022 (82 percent) was greater than that in 1996 (64 percent) and was not significantly different from that in 2019 (83 percent).

Table 2 shows a comparison of mathematics performance scores of DoDEA students and those in national public schools.

Table 2. Historical Performance of DoDEA students on the NAEP Mathematics Assessment

DoDEA 2022 NAEP Performance Of Selected Student Groups

DoDEA 2022 NAEP Reading Results by Student Groups

With respect to fourth grade reading, female students achieved a higher average scale score in reading than that of the male students. White students in DoDEA had an average score that was higher than the average scores of Blacks and Hispanic students, but not significantly different from the average score of Asian students. The percentage of White students (55) performing at or above Proficient was greater than corresponding Black (37) and Hispanic (44) students and was consistent with the percentage of Asian students (55). Figure 1 shows the average NAEP 2022 reading scores of DoDEA students by gender and ethnicity.

With respect to eighth grade reading, female students achieved a higher average scale score in reading than that of the male students. The difference between student performance at or above Proficient level between male and female is significant; 46 percent and 63 percent respectively. White students in DoDEA had an average score that was higher than the average scores of Black and Hispanic students, but not significantly different from the average score of Asian students. The percentage of White students performing at or above Proficient was greater than corresponding percentages of Black and Hispanic students, but not significantly different from the percentage of Asian students. Both Black and Hispanic students showed significant increases between 2022 (41 and 52, respectively) and 2019 (32 and 41, respectively) Figure 2 shows the average NAEP 2022 reading scores of DoDEA students by gender and ethnicity.

DoDEA 2022 NAEP Mathematics Results by Student Groups

With respect to fourth grade mathematics, male students in DoDEA had a higher average scale score (253) than female students (246) on the NAEP 2019 assessment. The percent of male students (57) that performed at or above Proficient was significantly higher than female students (46). White students in DoDEA had an average score that was significantly higher than the average scores of Black, Hispanic students but was not significantly different than that of Asian students. The percentage of White students (59) performing at or above Proficient was significantly higher than corresponding Black (31) and Hispanic students (44), but not significantly different than that of Asian students (55). Figure 3 shows the average NAEP 2019 mathematics scores of DoDEA students by ethnicity.

With respect eighth grade mathematics, male students in DoDEA had an average scale score in mathematics (294) that was significantly higher than that of female students (289). There was no percentage difference in gender performance for male or female students at or above proficient (33). White students in DoDEA had an average score that was significantly higher than the average scores of Blacks and Hispanic students but was lower than that of Asian students. The percentage of White students performing at or above Proficient was significantly higher than corresponding Black and Hispanic students but was significantly lower than that of Asian students. Figure 4 shows the average NAEP 2019 mathematics scores of DoDEA students by ethnicity.

NAEP uses Item Response Theory (IRT) scaling and NAEP marginal estimations to estimate scale scores for each of the mathematics content areas at each grade. Each scale score distribution is transformed to NAEP scale scores that ranges from 0 to 500. Subscale effect sizes are used to compare performance in the different content areas. For more information about NAEP analysis, IRT, and scaling, see https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/analysis/.

Additional Information Detailed information on the 2022 NAEP Reading and Mathematics assessment and all other NAEP assessments can be found on the web at: https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/.

NAEP Comparison Data (2022 and 2019)

Reading, Grade 4