From 1985-86, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted a special survey of reading and mathematics performance of language minority Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American children to determine the progress of these children at grades 3, 7, and 11. The study also sought to identify whether the differences in achievement within and among the groups could be at least partially explained by differences in demographic background, language use and competence, attitudes and school-related behaviors, and school experiences. Three achievement measures were examined, including: (1) academic performance as measured by seventh- and eleventh-grade students' self-report of grades in school; (2) NAEP reading scores for seventh-graders; and (3) NAEP math scores for third-, seventh-, and eleventh-grade students. Factors relating to the students' self-reports of high grades and to students' tested reading and math scores indicated that (1) frequency of second language use in the home had a significant positive relationship to grades in the total sample, as did English competence; and (2) locus of control, English competency, and positive attitudes toward reading tended to be important explanatory variables of reading performance, but that frequency of second language use in home had little or no relationship to reading performance. Sample NAEP reading and math test items are appended. (Author/DJD)