Writing Proficiency

Updated: September 2012

Writing Proficiency

September 2012

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Among eighth-graders in 2011, the average writing proficiency score for females

was 20 points higher than the average for males.

Importance

Writing is an essential skill for all students if they are to be successful in school and in the workplace. In

English classes, writing skills are often directly taught and assessed. In social science, humanities, and

science classes, writing well is essential for students to demonstrate knowledge and express ideas. Outside

of the classroom, writing well is necessary to express ideas, persuade, create, advocate as a citizen, and,

increasingly, it is a skill highly valued by prospective employers.1,2 Indeed, one estimate put the cost to

taxpayers at $250 million annually, to address through extra training and oversight the writing deficiencies

among state government workers.3

Recognizing the essential role of writing in personal, public, civic, working, and recreational areas of life, the

National Council of Teachers of English established October 20 as National Day on Writing, starting in 2009.

They cite five reasons:4

1. to highlight the fundamental place that writing has in American culture;

2. to emphasize the importance of teaching writing at every grade level and in every subject;

3. to underscore the life-long process of learning to write;

4. to bring attention to the range of writing done by Americans in subject matter as well as in media;

and

5. to encourage more writing.

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Trends

Average writing proficiency scores increased modestly between 1998 and 2002 for fourth- and eighth-

graders (from 150 to 154, and from 150 to 153, respectively); 5 however, there were no significant changes

in twelfth-graders’ scores. From 2002 to 2007, eighth-grade writing proficiency scores increased (from 153

to 156), as did twelfth-graders’ scores (from 148 to 153). (Figure 1) A new, computerized, writing test was

administered to eighth- and twelfth-graders in 2011; these results are not comparable to those of previous

years. (Figure 2)

150 150 150154 153148

156 153

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Fourth Grade* Eighth Grade Twelfth Grade

Scale

Score

Grade

Writing Scale Scores of Students in Grades 4, 8, and 12,

1998, 2002, and 2007

1998 2002 2007

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress Writing Assessment (NAEP), Accessed through the NAEP data tool at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/criteria.asp

Figure 1

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Differences by Gender

Between 1998 and 2007, the gender gap for eighth-grade did not change, but for twelfth-graders, it

decreased between 2002 and 2007, after increasing between 1998 and 2002. (Appendix 1)

In 2011, eighth- and twelfth-grade girls, on average, scored higher than boys. Among eighth-graders,

females scored an average of 160 points, while males scored an average of 140. Among twelfth-graders,

girls scored 157 points, while boys scored 143, on average. (Figure 2)

Differences by Race and Hispanic Origin6

In general, among fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade students, white and Asian/Pacific Islanders scored

higher than black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaskan Native students. For instance, among twelfth-

graders in 2011, white and Asian/Pacific Islander students scored highest (averages of 159 and 158,

respectively), followed by American Indian/Alaska Native students (145), then Hispanic students (134), and

black students (130). (Appendix 2) These gaps held steady between 1998, 2002, and 2007, except that the

gap between white and black eighth-graders decreased between 2002 and 2007. (Appendix 1)

Differences by Parent’s Educational Attainment

140 143

160 157

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Eighth Grade Twelfth Grade

Scale

Score

Grade

Writing Scale Scores of Students in Grades 8 and 12, by Gender, 2011

Male Female

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress Writing Assessment (NAEP), 2007, Accessed

Figure 2

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Overall, in 2002, 2007, and 2011, the more educated the parents of eighth- and twelfth-graders were, the

higher were students’ writing scores.7 For example, in 2011, eighth-grade students with college-educated

parents had an average score of 160, compared with 150 for students whose parents had only some

education after high school, 138 for students with parents who had a high school education only, and 133 for

students whose parents did not finish high school. (Appendix 2)

Differences by Free/Reduced-Price School Lunch Program Eligibility

Students who were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches (because they lived in low-income

families) scored lower on the NAEP writing assessment than did students who were not eligible. In 2011,

these scores were 27 points lower for eighth-graders eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch scored

than for their counterparts who were ineligible, and for twelfth-graders the gap was 24 points. (Figure 3) This

gap narrowed between 2002 and 2007 for eighth-graders, but there was no change for fourth- or twelfth-

graders. (Appendix 1)

134 133

161 157

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Eighth Grade Twelfth Grade

Scale

Score

Grade

Writing Scale Scores of Students in Grades 8 and 12, by Eligibility for Free/Reduced Price Lunch, 2011

Eligible Not Eligible

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress Writing Assessment (NAEP), 2007, Accessed through the NAEP data tool at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/criteria.asp

Figure 3

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State and Local Estimates

2007 state estimates for eighth- and twelfth-graders are available at

http://nationsreportcard.gov/writing_2007/

The following 2002 state estimates are available from

http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data#USA/2/8/10,11,12,13,14,15 (select Test Scores):

4th graders who scored below the basic writing level

4th graders who scored at or above the proficient writing level

8th graders who scored below the basic writing level

8th graders who scored at or above the proficient writing level.

1998 state estimates for fourth- and eighth-graders are available from the following sites:

Fourth Grade- http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/stt2002/20035324.asp

Eighth Grade- http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/stt2002/20035328.asp

International Estimates

None available.

National Goals

None.

Related Indicators

Reading Proficiency: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=reading-proficiency

Science Proficiency: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=science-proficiency

Mathematics Proficiency: www.childtrends.org/?indicators=mathematics-proficiency

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Definition

Writing proficiency is determined by performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and it is

measured by average scale scores. The NAEP assessment assesses fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders on writing.

Fourth-graders were not assessed in 2007 or 2011. Scale scores range from 0 to 300.

Each grade level and each subject area has criteria for achievement-level, categorized as basic, proficient, or advanced.

This represents what students should know.

For more information on the abilities expected for each level, see

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/writing/achieveall.asp

Fourth Grade

Basic (115-175)

Proficient (176-224)

Advanced (225-300)

Eighth Grade

Basic (114-172)

Proficient (173-223)

Advanced (224-300)

Twelfth Grade

Basic (122-177)

Proficient (178-229)

Advanced (230-300)

The Writing Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) details what is assessed by the Writing NAEP. The framework defines the structure, organization, and general content for the assessment.

1. Students should write for a variety of purposes: narrative, informative, and persuasive. 2. Students should write on a variety of tasks and for many different audiences. 3. Students should write from a variety of stimulus materials and within various time constraints. 4. Students should generate, draft, revise, and edit ideas and forms of expression in their writing. 5. Students should display effective choices in the organization of their writing. They should include details to

illustrate and elaborate their ideas and use appropriate conventions of written English.. 6. Students should value writing as a communicative activity.

See www.nagb.org/publications/writingbook.pdf for more information.

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Data Sources

Data for 1998 and 2002: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and

Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics. The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2002,

NCES 2003-529, by H.R Persky, M.C. Daane, and Y. Jin. Washington, DC: 2003.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2002/2003529.pdf

Data for 2007: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement,

National Center for Education Statistics. The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2007, NCES 2008-468.

Washington, DC: 2008. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2007/2008468.pdf

Data for 2011: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for

Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2011 Writing

Assessments. Accessed through the NAEP data tool. Available at

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/dataset.aspx

Raw Data Source

National Assessment of Educational Progress, Writing Assessments

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/writing/

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Appendix 1 - NAEP Writing Average Scale Scores, 1998, 2002, and 2007

Fourth Grade Eighth Grade Twelfth Grade

1998 2002 2007 1998 2002 2007 1998 2002 2007

Total 150 154 - 150 153 156 150 148 153

Gender

Male 142 146 - 140 143 146 140 136 144

Female 158 163 - 160 164 166 159 160 162

Race/Hispanic Origin2

White 156 161 - 157 161 164 155 154 159

Black 130 140 - 131 135 141 134 130 137

Hispanic 134 141 - 131 137 142 136 136 139

Asian/Pacific Islander 159 167 - 154 161 167 150 151 160

American Indian 130 139 - 130 137 143 129 ‡ 140

Free/Reduced-Price School

Lunch Program Eligibility

Eligible 134 141 - 132 136 141 133 132 138

Not eligible 158 163 - 157 162 164 152 152 157

Type of School

Public 148 153 - 148 152 154 148 146 152

Nonpublic 164 166 - 167 170 173 165 168 ‡

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Fourth Grade Eighth Grade Twelfth Grade

1998 2002 2007 1998 2002 2007 1998 2002 2007

Parent's Education2

Did not finish high school - - - 130 136 139 128 129 134

Graduated high school - - - 145 144 147 142 139 141

Some education after

high school - - - 145 156 158 145 149 152

Graduated college - - - 159 165 166 159 158 163

Unknown - - - 117 132 136 113 114 123

Percentile Score

10th 105 108 - 104 104 110 104 97 108

25th 126 130 - 127 128 134 126 121 130

50th 151 154 - 151 155 158 150 149 154

75th 174 179 - 175 180 180 174 176 177

90th 195 200 - 194 201 200 195 200 197

Note: Scores on a scale from 0-300.

'-' Data not available.

‡ Reporting standards not met.

1 Race groups exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

2 Reflects the education of the most educated parent.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational

Progress Mathematics Assessments (NAEP), 1998, 2002, and 2007 Writing Assessments. Accessed through the NAEP data tool at

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/criteria.asp

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Appendix 2 - NAEP Writing Average Scale Scores, 2011

Fourth Grade Eighth Grade

Total 150 150

Gender

Male 140 143

Female 160 157

Race/Hispanic Origin2

White 158 159

Black 132 130

Hispanic 136 134

Asian/Pacific Islander 163 158

American Indian 145 145

Free/Reduced-Price School Lunch

Program Eligibility

Eligible 134 133

Not eligible 161 157

Type of School

Public 149 148

Nonpublic 164 168

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Fourth Grade Eighth Grade

Parent's Education2

Did not finish high school 133 129

Graduated high school 138 138

Some education after high school 150 149

Graduated college 160 160

Unknown 124 119

Urbanicity

City 144 146

Suburb 155 154

Town 148 149

Rural 150 149

Note: Scores on a scale from 0-300.

1 Race groups exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

2 Reflects the education of the most educated parent.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.

National Assessment of Educational Progress Mathematics Assessments (NAEP), 2011 Writing Assessments.

Accessed through the NAEP data tool at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nde/criteria.asp

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Endnotes

1 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education

Statistics. The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2002, NCES 2003-529, by H.R Persky, M.C. Daane, and Y. Jin.

Washington, DC: 2003. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/main2002/2003529.pdf

2 The National Commission on Writing. (2004). Writing: A ticket to work . . . or a ticket out: A survey of business leaders.

The College Board. Available at: www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to-work.pdf.

3 The National Commission on Writing. (2005). Writing: A powerful message from state government. The College Board.

Available at: www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/powerful-message-from-state.pdf.

4 For more information see http://www.galleryofwriting.org/about_ncte.php#day

5 In 2007 and 2011, fourth graders were not administered the writing assessment.

6 Note that none of the race groups include Hispanics of those races. Hispanics may be any race.

7 No information for fourth-graders is available.