In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments (37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. The 1990 TSA covered five mathematics content areas (numbers and operations; measurement; geometry; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra and functions). In Louisiana, 2,572 students in 99 public schools were assessed. This report describes the mathematics proficiency of Louisiana eighth-graders, compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from the NAEP national assessments), presents the average proficiency separately for the five content areas, and summarizes the performance of subpopulations (race/ethnicity, type of community, parents' educational level, and gender). To provide a context for the assessment data, participating students, their mathematics teachers, and principals completed questionnaires which focused on: instructional content (curriculum coverage, amount of homework); delivery of math instruction (availability of resources, type); use of calculators; educational background of teachers; and conditions facilitating math learning (e.g., hours of television watched, absenteeism). On the NAEP math scale, Louisiana students had an average proficiency of 246 compared to 261 nationwide. Many fewer students (Louisiana-4%; U.S.-12%) appear to have acquired reasoning and problem solving skills. (JJK/CRW)