This report highlights the results of the 2002 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-grade reading assessment for the nation. Results in 2002 are compared to previous NAEP reading assessments. It describes assessment content; presents major findings as average scale scores and percentages of students scoring at or above achievement levels for the nation, at grades 4, 8, and 12; shows results for participating states and jurisdictions at grades 4 and 8; and discusses performances of selected subgroups defined by gender and race/ethnicity. Major findings are: (1) the fourth-grade reading average score in 2002 was higher than in 1994, 1998, and 2000, but was not found to be significantly different from 1992; (2) among eighth-graders, the average score in 2002 was higher than in 1992 or 1994; (3) the twelfth-grade average score in 2002 was lower than in 1992 and 1998; (4) among the 40 jurisdictions that participated in both the 1992 and 2002 assessments, fourth-graders' average scores increased in 15 jurisdictions and decreased in 2 jurisdictions; (5) among the 37 jurisdictions that participated in both the 1998 and 2002 assessments, eight-graders' average scores increased in 10 jurisdictions and decreased in 5 jurisdictions; (6) in 2002, females had higher average reading scores than males at all three grades; (7) the gap between average scores for male and female forth-graders in 2002 was not found to be significantly different from that in 1992, at grade 8, the gap was smaller in 2002 than in all previous assessments years, and the gap at grade 12 was wider in 2002 than it had been in 1992; (8) at grade 4 and 8, both White and Black students had higher average scores in 2002 than in 1992; (9) in 2002, White students and Asian/Pacific Islander students had higher average scores than Black and Hispanic students, and White students outperformed Asian/Pacific Islander students at all three grades; (10) average scores increased between 1998 and 2002 for fourth- and eight-graders eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, and in 2002, at all three grades students who were eligible for free/reduced-price lunch had lower average scores than students who were not eligible; (11) students at all three grade levels who attended schools that received Title I funding had lower average reading scores in 2002 than students who attended schools that reported not receiving funds; (12) as in previous assessments, a positive relationship between student-reported parental education and student reading performance was observed in 2002 at grades 8 and 12; (13) in 2002, at all three grades students who attended nonpublic schools had higher average reading scores than their peers who attended public schools; and (14) in 2002, at all three grades students in schools located in urban fringe/large town areas outperformed students in schools located in central city and rural areas. Sample reading questions are attached. (RS)