Report shows African American, Hispanic, and white students outperforming peers in math.

Houston Independent School District fourth and eighth graders outperformed their peers across the nation in math, according to recently released results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The math results also show that HISD students in both grades outperformed their national counterparts in all subgroups, which means white, African American and Hispanic students are doing better than their respective peers across the country.

Known as the nation’s report card, NAEP analyzes fourth- and eighth-grade student performance in reading and math by testing a representative sample of students. In HISD, about 3,200 students — half from fourth grade and half from eighth grade — from 116 schools took the test in 2015.

The NAEP report is released every two years. It includes a sub-report comparing students from 21 participating school districts in large cities with a population of more than 200,000. Participation in the NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment is optional. HISD is one of the six original districts who joined the program upon its inception in 2002.

“We have continued to participate in this program because we are dedicated to making sure our students are getting the very best education possible,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “Our students are making great progress in math, and I’m incredibly proud of that. We still have work left to do in reading, and that’s where we’re focusing now.”

Among white students, HISD outperformed the national average in reading and math in both fourth and eighth grades. Among African American students, HISD outperformed the national average in fourth and eighth grade math and fourth grade reading, and was on par with the average in eighth grade reading. Among Hispanic students, HISD outperformed the national average in fourth and eighth grade math, but fell below in fourth and eighth grade reading.

For the most part, reading scores held steady despite an influx of students with limited English proficiency taking the reading test. The number of immigrant students at HISD has nearly doubled — going from 4,835 in 2013 to 8,637 in 2015 — since the last time the test was administered in 2013. Additionally, the population of students with limited English proficiency has increased from 60,501 in 2013 to 64,524 in 2015. The number of students with limited English proficiency actually taking the test in HISD also has continually increased since 2002.

With up to 80 percent of tested students considered economically disadvantaged, HISD also has higher poverty rates than many of the participating school districts. As a result, the data can sometimes be misleading, according to a report released this week by the Washington D.C.-based Urban Institute.

The report suggests that NAEP findings should be adjusted for districts with higher numbers of disadvantaged students because not all students start school on equal footing. When data is adjusted, rankings change significantly.

Overall fourth grade reading scores went up. The increase coincides with the launch of Literacy by 3, the district’s effort to end the city’s literacy crisis and get all students reading on grade level by the end of third grade.

Eighth grade reading scores, for the most part, stayed flat. District officials predict they will rise as the Literacy by 3 program continues and students who are the current focus of the program advance.