This paper uses data from the 1990 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Trial State Assessment to describe educational opportunities for students in eighth-grade mathematics in 1990. The first section of the paper summarizes the methodology used here and in the 1990 NAEP Trial State Assessment. The second section summarizes findings of the study. The final section discusses implications of the findings for national educational policy and highlights a follow-up study using data from the 1992 NAEP Trial State Assessment. Overall, results showed that a majority of eighth-grade students receive mathematics instruction in traditional classrooms; are assigned to classrooms based on their ability; receive between 2.5 and 4 hours of mathematics instruction by teachers who place heavy emphasis on numbers, operations, facts, and concepts; are more likely to do problems from textbooks than to do reports or problems on mathematics; and few regularly use calculators or computers. Further, it appeared that eighth-grade mathematics teachers who have participated in at least 16 hours of in-service training in mathematics or the teaching of mathematics in the last year are more likely to report using non-traditional methods. Appendices include a listing of states participating in the 1990 NAEP Trial State Assessment and sources of supplementary data. Contains 10 references. (MKR)