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

ALEXANDRIA, VA — October 24, 2022 — 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

ASSESSMENT			AVERAGE SCALE SCORE		ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
Subject	Grade	Year	Score	Difference from National Public (NP)	At or Above Basic	At or Above Proficient	At Advanced
Reading	4	2022	235	+19	80	50	16
Reading	4	2019	235	+16	83	49	12
Reading	4	2017	234	+13	84	49	11
Reading	4	2015	234	+13	83	47	9
Reading	8	2022	282	+23	90	55	7
Reading	8	2019	280	+18	91	52	5
Reading	8	2017	280	+15	91	51	5
Reading	8	2015	277	+13	90	47	3

 

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

ASSESSMENT			AVERAGE SCALE SCORE		ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS
Subject	Grade	Year	Score	Difference from National Public (NP)	At or Above Basic	At or Above Proficient	At Advanced
Mathematics	4	2022	250	+15	92	51	10
Mathematics	4	2019	250	+10	92	54	10
Mathematics	4	2017	249	+10	91	51	9
Mathematics	4	2015	248	+8	90	49	8
Mathematics	8	2022	292	+19	82	41	11
Mathematics	8	2019	292	+11	83	41	11
Mathematics	8	2017	293	+11	83	41	11
Mathematics	8	2015	291	+11	83	40	9

 

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

	Jurisdiction
	National public		DoDEA
	Year		Year
Grade 4 Reading	2022	2019		2022	2019
Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score		Average scale score	Average scale score
All	216	219		235	235
White	226	229		239	239
Black	198	203		226	228
Hispanic	204	208		229	230
Asian/Pacific Islander	238	237		240	234
American Indian/Alaska Native	198	204		‡	‡
Two or more races	222	225		237	236
Male	213	216		232	232
Female	219	223		238	238
Identified as students with disabilities	183	184		203	208
Not identified as students with disabilities	222	225		241	239
EL	190	191		217	216
Not EL	220	224		237	237
Percentile Estimates
10th percentile	160	167		189	196
25th percentile	190	196		214	217
50th percentile	220	224		238	238
75th percentile	245	247		259	255
90th percentile	265	265		276	270
Achievement Level at or Above Proficient
All	32	34		50	49
White	41	44		55	55
Black	16	18		37	37
Hispanic	20	23		44	44
Asian/Pacific Islander	55	55		55	47
American Indian/Alaska Native	18	20		‡	‡
Two or more races	37	40		52	50
Male	30	31		47	46
Female	34	37		54	52
Identified as students with disabilities	11	12		19	21
Not identified as students with disabilities	36	38		56	54
EL	10	9		28	24
Not ELL	36	38		53	52

 

_{‡ Reporting standards not met.
DoDEA NOTE: DoDEA = Department of Defense Education Activity. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant.
NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011, students in the "two or more races" category were categorized as "unclassified." Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2017 and 2019 Reading Assessments.}

 

Reading, Grade 8

	Jurisdiction
	National public		DoDEA
	Year		Year
Grade 8 Reading	2022	2019	2022	2019
Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score
All	259	262	282	280
White	267	271	286	285
Black	243	244	271	267
Hispanic	250	251	281	275
Asian/Pacific Islander	281	281	287	282
American Indian/Alaska Native	246	249	‡	‡
Two or more races	263	266	280	285
Male	255	256	276	276
Female	263	268	289	284
Identified as students with disabilities	228	228	255	255
Not identified as students with disabilities	264	267	286	284
EL	225	221	260	254
Not EL	263	265	284	282
Percentile Estimates
10th percentile	208	211	244	244
25th percentile	235	239	264	263
50th percentile	262	265	284	283
75th percentile	286	288	302	299
90th percentile	306	308	318	314
Achievement Level at or Above Proficient
All	29	32	55	52
White	37	41	59	61
Black	15	15	41	32
Hispanic	20	21	52	44
Asian/Pacific Islander	55	54	61	55
American Indian/Alaska Native	18	20	‡	‡
Two or more races	33	35	51	57
Male	26	27	46	47
Female	33	38	63	58
Identified as students with disabilities	9	9	19	18
Not identified as students with disabilities	33	36	59	57
ELL	5	3	22	17
Not ELL	32	35	57	54

_{‡ Reporting standards not met.
DoDEA NOTE: DoDEA = Department of Defense Education Activity. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant.
NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011, students in the "two or more races" category were categorized as "unclassified." Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2017 and 2019 Reading Assessments.}

 

Mathematics, Grade 4

	Jurisdiction
	National public		DoDEA
	Year		Year
Grade 4 Mathematics	2022	2019	2022	2019
Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score	Average scale score
All	235	240	250	250
White	245	249	254	254
Black	216	224	237	241
Hispanic	224	231	246	246
Asian/Pacific Islander	257	261	253	255
American Indian/Alaska Native	220	228	‡	‡
Two or more races	238	243	250	252
Male	238	242	253	252
Female	232	238	246	249
Identified as students with disabilities	211	214	233	232
Not identified as students with disabilities	239	244	253	253
EL	215	219	239	239
Not EL	238	243	251	252
Percentile Estimates
10th percentile	190	198	217	219
25th percentile	213	220	233	235
50th percentile	236	242	250	251
75th percentile	258	262	267	268
90th percentile	277	279	282	282
Achievement Level at or Above Proficient
All	35	40	51	54
White	47	52	59	60
Black	15	20	31	38
Hispanic	21	28	44	47
Asian/Pacific Islander	62	67	55	60
American Indian/Alaska Native	19	25	‡	‡
Two or more races	38	44	53	57
Male	39	43	57	57
Female	31	38	46	50
Identified as students with disabilities	15	16	28	28
Not identified as students with disabilities	39	45	56	58
EL	14	16	33	33
Not EL	39	44	54	56

_{‡ Reporting standards not met.
DoDEA NOTE: DoDEA = Department of Defense Education Activity. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant.
NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011, students in the "two or more races" category were categorized as "unclassified." Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2017 and 2019 Mathematics Assessments.}

 

Mathematics, Grade 8

	Jurisdiction
	National public		DoDEA
	Year		Year
Grade 8 Mathematics	2022	2019	2022	2019
Average scale score
All	273	281	292	292
White	284	291	298	298
Black	252	259	272	276
Hispanic	261	268	284	285
Asian/Pacific Islander	304	309	301	300
American Indian/Alaska Native	257	263	‡	‡
Two or more races	275	285	294	294
Male	274	280	294	293
Female	272	282	289	291
Identified as students with disabilities	242	247	267	261
Not identified as students with disabilities	278	286	295	296
EL	241	243	270	269
Not EL	276	284	293	293
Percentile Estimates
10th percentile	222	230	250	251
25th percentile	246	254	270	270
50th percentile	273	281	292	292
75th percentile	303	308	313	314
90th percentile	324	332	334	334
Achievement Level at or Above Proficient
All	36	33	41	41
White	34	43	48	49
Black	9	13	17	20
Hispanic	14	19	32	34
Asian/Pacific Islander	56	61	54	50
American Indian/Alaska Native	11	15	‡	‡
Two or more races	27	36	43	43
Male	27	33	44	43
Female	24	33	38	39
Identified as students with disabilities	7	9	17	13
Not identified as students with disabilities	29	37	44	45
EL	4	5	14	15
Not EL	28	35	43	43

_{‡ Reporting standards not met.
DoDEA NOTE: DoDEA = Department of Defense Education Activity. Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant.
NOTE: Black includes African American, Hispanic includes Latino, and Pacific Islander includes Native Hawaiian. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. Prior to 2011, students in the "two or more races" category were categorized as "unclassified." Some apparent differences between estimates may not be statistically significant. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2017 and 2019 Mathematics Assessments.}