The state education commission wants to estimate the fraction of tenth grade students that have reading skills at or below the elghth grade level.

Suppose a sample of 310 tenth graders is drawn. Of the students sampled, 255!read above the eight grade level. Using the data, estimate the proportion of tenth graders reading at on below the eighth grade level, Enter your answer as a fraction or a decimal number rounded to three decimal places.

Step 1 ：The problem is asking for the proportion of tenth graders reading at or below the eighth grade level. We know that out of 310 students, 255 read above the eighth grade level.

Step 2 ：Therefore, the number of students reading at or below the eighth grade level would be the total number of students minus the number of students reading above the eighth grade level. So, \(310 - 255 = 55\) students read at or below the eighth grade level.

Step 3 ：To find the proportion, we would then divide the number of students reading at or below the eighth grade level by the total number of students. So, \(\frac{55}{310} = 0.1774193548387097\).

Step 4 ：Rounding to three decimal places, we get 0.177.

Step 5 ：Final Answer: The proportion of tenth graders reading at or below the eighth grade level is approximately \(\boxed{0.177}\).