NAEP Writing 

Computer-Based 

Assessment

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2010-470

An Overview for Grades 8 and 12

What should schools expect?

As with other NAEP assessments, NAEP staff will administer 

the assessment and work with school staff to organize the 

writing assessment activities. NAEP staff will bring necessary 

materials, including laptop computers and earbuds, to the school on 

assessment day. Schools will only need to provide one room, desks or 

tables, and electricity; schools do not have to provide Internet access. 

 About 28-30 students in each school will be selected to participate. 

The assessment will be administered in two sequential sessions of about 

15 students. No other NAEP subject area assessments will be given in 

schools participating in the writing computer-based assessment. 

What can students expect?

Before the assessment begins, students will be shown a tutorial 

which will help them become familiar with the way material is 

presented on the computer screen and how to use the program. 

Students will compose their responses in a word processing program 

similar to the programs they frequently use. They will be able to use 

common tools for editing, formatting, and text analysis; they will not have 

access to irrelevant or distracting tools such as clip art, font type and 

color, or the Internet. Students may ask questions anytime before and 

during the assessment.

 It will take approximately 90 to 120 minutes for students to complete 

the assessment, 60 minutes of which is allotted to writing two responses. 

Students will respond to text, video or animated prompts on the computer 

and listen to audio prompts via earbuds, which will be provided. The 

assessment questions are designed to measure students’ ability to persuade, 

to explain, or to convey experience. 

 Students will also respond to questions designed to gather information 

that provides context for understanding the assessment results, such 

as how many pages the student has to read each day for school and 

homework, and whether there is a computer in their home that they can use. 

New to the assessment are specific questions about computer use, such as 

writing for school assignments, writing e-mails, and using the Internet.

What to Expect for the NAEP Writing 

Computer-Based Assessment
How is the NAEP writing computer-based assessment 

different from past writing assessments? 

The NAEP writing assessment has always been paper-and-pencil based 

for grades 4, 8, and 12. In 2011, for the first time, the NAEP writing 

assessment will measure students’ ability to write using a computer at 

grades 8 and 12. The assessment is computer-based, and is designed 

to take advantage of many features of current digital technology, such 

as word processing software. The computer-based writing tasks are 

delivered in multimedia formats, such as short videos and audio.

In today’s society, writing with paper 

and pencil has largely been replaced by writing 

using a computer. Students are expected to compose 

on a computer as they move through school and into 

the workforce. Reflecting the changes in technology, 

eighth- and twelfth-grade students taking the National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing 

assessment will use a computer to compose and 

edit their responses. 

93%of eighth-graders who took the NAEP reading 

assessment in 2009 reported that they used a computer at home.

(National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009.)

Why is the writing assessment computer-based for 

grades 8 and 12?

The 2011 NAEP Writing Framework mandated that the writing assessment 

be designed to reflect the way today’s students compose and are expected 

to compose: using a computer. For example, in 2007, NAEP data showed 

that 75% of twelfth-graders who took the writing assessment reported 

that they almost always used a computer to make changes to a paper or 

report (for example, spell-check, cut and paste). The writing assessment 

was developed to take into account the new role that technology plays as 

students move through school and into the workforce. 

How was the new writing framework developed?

The 2011 NAEP Writing Framework was developed by the National 

Assessment Governing Board, with ideas from a wide range of individuals 

and organizations, including writing experts, school administrators, 

policymakers, teachers, parents, and others. To view the framework, visit 

http://www.nagb.org/publications/frameworks.htm.

Will accommodations be provided?

NAEP assessments strive to include as many students as possible. 

The writing computer-based assessment system is designed to 

comply with federal policy, which instructs that electronic information 

technology be accessible to all people, including those individuals 

with disabilities. The computer program for the writing assessment 

features optional settings that will reduce the need for accommodations, 

among them:

• A ‘Speak’ function on computers that can read aloud all or selected 

• 

• Choice of color schemes, including a high contrast option.
www.ed.gov ies.ed.gov

You can also contact the National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) at: 

National Center for Education Statistics 

Assessment Division – 8th Floor 

1990 K Street NW 

Washington, DC 20006 

Phone: 202-502-7420 

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

contactus.asp

To order copies of The Nation’s Report 

Card or other NAEP publications, contact 

ED Pubs at:

ED Pubs 

U.S. Department of Education 

P.O. Box 22207 

Alexandria, VA 22304 

www.EDPubs.gov

For more information about NAEP, visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard.

As with other NAEP assessments, accommodations such as alterations 

in the testing setting or timing will be provided. Any change that 

alters the skill NAEP is designed to measure will not be allowed. If 

needed, for the computer-based writing assessment, accommodations 

will be available, such as screen magnification greater than 48 point font, 

and the ability to enlarge graphics. Accommodations such as bilingual 

word-to-word dictionaries, or signed directions, can be provided by 

the school staff. 

How will the responses be scored?

Trained scorers will evaluate the responses. In NAEP, scorers are taught 

to use the scoring rubric through extensive training using many example 

responses. They will evaluate three broad features of writing, as follows: 

•

•

•

 Development of Ideas

 Organization of Ideas

 Language Facility and Use of Conventions

Responses will be evaluated holistically; individual elements or parts of 

the response will not be scored separately. 

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

is a continuing and nationally representative assessment 

of what our nation’s students know and can do in core 

subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing.

NAEP was first administered in 1969 to measure student 

achievement nationally. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and 

researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways 

to improve education throughout the country. The results of NAEP are 

released as The Nation’s Report Card, and are available for the nation, 

states, and in some cases, urban districts. For more information, please 

visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.