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Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA)

Achievement in Urban School Districts

The NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) results show how school districts are performing over time and compared with other participating districts.

The TUDA program was first funded by Congress in 2002. Through this program, NAEP has collected and reported student achievement data for participating large urban districts every other year since 2003. As congressional funding and interest in the program have increased, the number of districts voluntarily participating has grown to 27

Trends from the 2022 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA)

Results for the 27 school districts that volunteer to participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in many ways mirror results for the nation and states in 4th and 8th grade reading and math. Namely that the pandemic deeply impacted student learning.

Yet several districts showed areas of resilience. Los Angeles Unified School District saw strong growth in 8th grade reading, and many districts had only modest declines between 2019 and 2022. 

Important trends to understand:

  • Austin Independent School DistrictCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, San Diego Unified School DistrictMiami-Dade County Public Schools, and Hillsborough County Public Schools outperform the nation on student achievement in several categories, having a higher percentage of students working at NAEP Proficient or fewer students performing below NAEP Basic.
  • Los Angeles Unified School DistrictMiami-Dade County Public Schools, School District Of Philadelphia, and New York City Public Schools did not see significant losses in eighth-grade math, despite the nation and all but two states losing major ground in this grade and subject.
  • And, unlike the country as a whole, which saw across-the-board declines, 21 TUDA districts had only modest declines in eighth-grade reading (and Los Angeles Unified School District saw strong growth in grade 8 reading). In other words, many TUDAs outperformed the country in middle-school reading in the pandemic. 

We have to bring strong interventions to schools to help our most struggling students improve, and we have to address long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system so all students can succeed in school and in life,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District and Governing Board member. “While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use it as an excuse. We have to stay committed to high standards and expectations and help every child succeed.”

In many cases, the pandemic exacerbated long standing trends. To learn more, read Understanding Pre-Pandemic NAEP Trends: Setting the State for NAEP 2022.

The following districts voluntarily participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment; review the eligibility criteria

Participating TUDA Districts

  • Albuquerque Public Schools (New Mexico)
  • Atlanta Public Schools
  • Austin Independent School District (Texas)
  • Baltimore City Public Schools
  • Boston Public Schools
  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (North Carolina)
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Clark County School District (Nevada)
  • Cleveland Metropolitan School District
  • Dallas Independent School District
  • Denver Public Schools
  • Detroit Public Schools
  • District Of Columbia Public Schools
  • Duval County Public Schools (Jacksonville, Florida)
  • Fort Worth Independent School District (Texas)
  • Guilford County Schools (Greensboro, North Carolina)
  • Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida)
  • Houston Independent School District
  • Jefferson County Public Schools (Kentucky)
  • Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Miami-Dade County Public Schools
  • Milwaukee Public Schools
  • New York City Public Schools
  • Orange County Public Schools (Florida)
  • San Diego Unified School District
  • School District Of Philadelphia
  • Shelby County Schools (Memphis, Tennessee)