An Introduction to NAEP

 National Assessment of

Educational Progress

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2010-468

“ NAEP is a necessary tool and way 

for my colleagues and me to make 

sure that the expectations that 

we have for teaching, learning, and 

ultimately student achievement, 

are where they belong.”

Brian Dassler, Principal

KIPP Renaissance High School, New Orleans, LA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 2

Development 

Participation 

Reporting 

Resources 

4

8

12

14
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and 

nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and 

can do. NAEP has often been called the “gold standard” of assessments because 

it is developed using the best thinking of assessment and content specialists, 

education experts, and teachers from around the nation.

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION REPORTING RESOURCES

NAEP provides a c vides a common measur mmon measure of student achievement acr e of student achievement across 

the country. Because sta use states have their own unique assessments e their own unique assessments 

with diff ith diff erent content and stand t and standards, it is impossible t , it is impossible to use them se them 

as a means f s a means for comparing state achievement e achievement. Such comparisons 

are possible with NAEP possible with NAEP, however , however, because the questions and because the questions and 

administr dministration of the assessment ar on of the assessment are the same acr he same across all sta oss all states. 

NAEP results ar ults are released f leased for a var r a variety of sub y of subjects as Th ects as Th e Nation’sReport 

Card, and ar , and are available f ilable for the na r the nation, and in some cases, sta ion, and in some cases, states and 

urban distr rban districts. Th cts. ere are no results for individual students, classr r individual students, classrooms, 

or schools. NAEP r r schools. NAEP reports results f sults for diff erent demo nt demographic groups, 

including gender ncluding gender, socioec socioeconomic sta nomic status, and race/ethnicity hnicity. Assessments sessments 

are given most fr ven most frequently in ma quently in mathematics and r ics and reading. Other sub her subjects, 

such as wr uch as writing, science, U.S. history, civics, geography, economics, and 

the arts, are assessed per assessed periodically odically.

NAEP is a congressionally mand essionally mandated project administ ject administered by the ed by the 

National Cent ional Center for Education Sta ion Statistics (NC stics (NCES), within the Institut ), within the Institute 

of Educa f Education Scienc ion Sciences of the U s of the U.S. Department of Educa tment of Education. NC ion. NCES 

is responsible f ponsible for developing t r developing test questions, administ estions, administering the 

assessment ssessment, scoring student r ng student responses, c sponses, conducting analyses of the nducting analyses of the 

data, and reporting the r ing the results. Th sults. Th e National A ional Assessment Gover sessment Governing 

Board sets polic s policy for NAEP.

2
Teachers, pr achers, principals, par ncipals, parents, polic nts, policymakers, and r akers, and researchers all use hers all use 

NAEP results t sults to assess pr o assess progress and develop wa ess and develop ways to improve educa ve education 

in the Unit n the United States. NAEP is a tr es. NAEP is a trusted resource and has been pr and has been providing oviding 

valid and r alid and reliable data on student per a on student performance since 1969.

NAEP Components 

Th ere are two types of assessments, main NAEP and long- two types of assessments, main NAEP and long-term 

trend NAEP nd NAEP. 

Main NAEP is administ ain NAEP is administered to fourth-, eig h-, eighth-, and twelfth-g hth-, and twelfth-graders 

across the country in a v y in a variety of subjects. National r ional results ar ults are 

available f ailable for all assessments and su r all assessments and subjects. Results ar cts. Results are available f ailable for 

states and select urban distr s and select urban districts in some sub cts in some subjects for grades 4 and 8. ades 4 and 8. 

Th e Trial Urban Distr ial Urban District Assessment ( sessment (TUDA) is a special pr ) is a special project 

developed t eveloped to determine the f ine the feasibility of r asibility of reporting distr ing district-level NAEP -level NAEP 

results f sults for large urban distr r large urban districts. In 2009 a tr 009 a trial state assessment w e assessment was 

administ dministered at grade 12. ade 12.

Long-term trend NAEP is administ nd NAEP is administered to 9-, 13-, and 17- 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds 

every four years nationally ionally. Long-term trend assessments measur d assessments measure 

student per dent performance in mathematics and r ics and reading, and allow the d allow the 

performance of today’s students t s students to be compared with students sinc d with students since 

the early 1970s. he early 1970s. 

In addition t ddition to main and long- ain and long-term trend assessments, ther d assessments, there are a 

number of NAEP special studies tha umber of NAEP special studies that are conducted periodically odically. These 

include r nclude research and development e ch and development eff orts such as the Hig such as the High School 

Transcript Study and the N pt Study and the National Indi tional Indian Educa n Education Study ion Study. For more 

information on NAEP special studies, visit ion on NAEP special studies, visit http://nces.ed.gov/ .ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/studies.

“ NAEP is an important part of 

schools across the country today. 

With NAEP, we can see how 

students in the United States 

are performing in various 

subject areas.”

Nicole B. Brown, Assistant Principal

Montgomery County Public Schools, Silver Spring, MD

MAIN LONG-TERM TREND

National

Public & 

Non-public

Grades 

4, 8 & 12

National

Public & 

Non-public

Ages: 9, 

13 & 17

State

Public

Grades 4 & 8

Trial: Grade 12

Trial Urban 

District

Public

Grades 4 & 8

3
The development of a NAEP assessment takes a substantial amount of time 

and incorporates feedback from a wide array of experts. The process for 

developing NAEP assessments is comprehensive, deliberate, and inclusive.

NAEP Frameworks

Each NAEP assessment is built fr h NAEP assessment is built from a content framework tha ork that 

specifi es what students should k dents should know and be able t ow and be able to do in a g o in a given 

grade.Th e National A ional Assessment Gover sessment Governing Board, which se , which sets NAEP 

policy, oversees the cr , oversees the creation of the NAEP fr ion of the NAEP frameworks. The Governing 

Board, appoint , appointed by the U d by the U.S. Secretary of Educa of Education, consists of 26 sists of 26 

members, including gover embers, including governors, sta ors, state legislators, local and sta ors, local and state school 

offi cials, educa ls, educators, business r ors, business representatives, and members of the ives, and members of the 

general public l public. 

Th e frameworks refl ect ideas and input fr ct ideas and input from subject area experts, 

school administr chool administrators, polic ors, policymakers, teachers, par chers, parents, and o ts, and others. 

NAEP frameworks also descr rks also describe the types of questions tha be the types of questions that should 

be included and how the e included and how they should be desig ould be designed and sc d and scored. Multiple- d. Multiplechoice and open-ended questions t and open-ended questions test a wide r st a wide range of students nge of students’ 

knowledge and sk owledge and skills and ar lls and are presented in a var in a variety of formats. Most 

assessments ar ssessments are administ administered in a paper d in a paper-and-pencil based f and-pencil based format. 

However, NAEP is be NAEP is beginning t nning to move in the dir move in the direction of c ction of computerbased assessments, star ased assessments, starting with the wr ting with the writing assessment a iting assessment at grades 8 

and 12. Th nd 12. Th e frameworks are periodically upd dically updated by the G d by the Governing 

Board to refl ect a variety of f ty of factors, suchas curriculum and ass ulum and assessment 

reform. Th ey are available online a ilable online athttp://www.nagb.org/.

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION REPORTING RESOURCES

4
Question Development 

Once a framework is c ork is completed, NCES develops the questions tha S develops the questions that 

students will be asked on the assessment tudents will be asked on the assessment. More than 300 people than 300 people 

are involved in developing and r lved in developing and reviewing the questions f ing the questions for each 

assessment ssessment, including r including representatives fr ives from the fr m the framework committee, 

representatives from states and distr s and districts, cur cts, curriculum specialists, ulum specialists, 

university educa niversity education faculty, state assessment dir assessment directors, sta rs, state content 

specialists, and exper pecialists, and experts in the assessment s in the assessment’s subject ar subject area. 

After the questions ar r the questions are written, a pr n, a process of r ss of reviews and upd and updates 

begins to ensur o ensure complexity mplexity, diversity of opinions and input , diversity of opinions and input, and 

attention t ntion to quality quality. Revie . Reviewers examine each question f mine each question for:

> consistency with the fr with the framework,

> consideration for what students ar students are being tau being taught, and

> bias that would make a question mor would make a question more diffi cult for a particular g icular group 

of students t f students to answer. 

Questions also undergo ex stions also undergo extensive pilo ensive pilot testing, in which actual , in which actual 

responses fr sponses from students ar om students are gathered to ensure the questions ar e the questions are 

measuring skills with f lls with fairness and appr ness and appropriate levels of diffi e levels of diffi culty. 

After each assessment r each assessment, some NAEP questions ar some NAEP questions are released t leased to the gener o the general 

public. Th ese questions ar se questions are available online in the NAEP Q ilable online in the NAEP Questions 

Tool(http://nces.ed.gov/na s.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx /itmrlsx) along with d along with data 

on how students per n how students performed on each question. T ed on each question. Teachers ma achers may use these use these 

questions in their classr uestions in their classrooms to see how their students c see how their students compare to the 

nation, their sta ion, their state, or urban distr or urban district (as r ct (as results allow). sults allow).

“ NAEP makes state-to-state 

comparisons reliable. Right now 

every state has diff erent state 

standards and diff erent criteria 

for meeting those standards.”

Barbara Browning, Principal

Rockton District #140, Rockton, IL

5
4th Grade Mathematics 

Sample Question

On the grid below, plot the points that have 

coordinates (B, 1), (B, 3), and (D, 5).

Plot 3 more points on the grid so that when you 

connect all 6 points you will make a rectangle.

List the coordinates for the 3 new points.

Connect the 6 points to show your rectangle.

you 

gle.

tangle.

8th Grade Reading 

Sample Question

For the following question, students read a story 

about how a young girl’s science fair project on 

gauging the accuracy of her city’s parking meters 

ended up impacting the lives of many citizens 

throughout her state.

Choose two things Ellie Lammer did and explain 

what those things tell about her. Use examples 

from the article to support your answer.

Response rated as “Extensive”

Response rated as “Essential”

How are assessments scored?

To make sure the scoring is reliable 

and consistent, NCES: 

> develops detailed scoring guides, 

> recruits and trains qualifi ed and 

experienced scorers, and

> monitors and reviews the quality and 

consistency of each scorer’s decisions.

Computers score multiple-choice 

questions. Open-ended questions 

require written answers and a diff erent 

approach to scoring. Using the scoring 

guides, trained scorers evaluate openended responses. For example, the 

guidelines explain how to decide 

whether a student’s response to the 

question is “extended,” “satisfactory,” 

“partial,” “minimal,” or “incorrect.” 

Scoring guides for released questions are 

available in the NAEP Questions Tool.

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

ABCDE FG

6
12th Grade Science Sample Question The following multiple-choice question from the twelfth-grade science assessment required conceptual understanding in the fi eld of life science. Which is a function of a neuron? A It carries oxygen to other cells. B It secretes digestive enzymes. C It removes foreign particles from the bloodstream. It receives signals from the internal and external environments.

Questionnaires for Students, Teachers and Schools In addition t n addition to assessing student achievement in var assessing student achievement in various subjects, NAEP collects inf lects information from students, t m students, teachers, and schools in achers, and schools in order to provide a mor vide a more complete understanding of the r understanding of the results and sults and overall student per ll student performance. Th is information is c ion is collected through the following: lowing: > Student questionnairescollect inf lect information on students ion on students’ demographic char phic characteristics, classr stics, classroom experiences and educa s and educationa support. > Teacher questionnairesgather data on t ta on teacher tr acher training and ining and instructional pr ctional practices. > School questionnairesgather inf her information on school policies ion on school policies and char nd characteristics. Th e results of these questionnair sults of these questionnaires help t es help to provide c ovide contextual information for the assessments, as well as inf the assessments, as well as information about f ion about factors that may be related to students o students’ learning. Th ese results can be ults can be 

analyzed using the NAEP D d using the NAEP Data Explorer: http://nces.ed.gov/ .ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/naepdata.

l 

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PARTICIPATION

Who takes NAEP? 

Since NAEP does no NAEP does not report data for individual schools or students, r individual schools or students, 

it is no t is not necessary to assess ever o assess every student in the Unit student in the United States. NCES 

uses a sampling pr ses a sampling procedure to ensure that those select those selected to participate 

in NAEP will be r n NAEP will be representative of the geo tive of the geographical, r aphical, racial, ethnic, and 

socioeconomic diversity of schoo onomic diversity of schools and students acr s and students across the na ss the nation.

First, schools ar schools are selected to be representative of schools acr tive of schools across 

the states and na s and nation, on the basis of char ion, on the basis of characteristics such as school stics such as school 

location, minor ion, minority enrollment ollment, level of school achievement f school achievement, and 

average income of the geo me of the geographic ar aphic area. Th en, within each school, ithin each school, 

students ar dents are randomly select domly selected to participate.

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT REPORTING RESOURCES

8

NAEP is able to provide valuable information on student performance, thanks to 

the voluntary participation of selected schools and students. Their participation 

enables NAEP to provide the most accurate and representative picture of how 

students are performing across the country.
How many students participate in NAEP?

When assessing per ssessing performance for the na r the nation only ion only, approximately 

6,000 to 20,000 students per g o 20,000 students per grade from across the country are 

assessed f ssessed for each sub r each subject. Th e numbers of schools and students var numbers of schools and students vary 

from year to year, depending on the number of sub depending on the number of subjects and questions ects and questions 

to be assessed. F be assessed. For assessments tha r assessments that report state results, NAEP sults, NAEP 

typically selects 3,000 students in ap ypically selects 3,000 students in approximately 100 schools in each ly 100 schools in each 

state for each g r each grade and sub de and subject.

Why is participation important? 

NAEP is the only measur AEP is the only measure of how the students acr of how the students across the na ss the nation 

are performing in v ming in various subject areas. It informs us how student ms us how student 

performance has changed over time, and allows sta has changed over time, and allows states to compare 

their pr heir progress with tha ss with that of other sta ther states and the na es and the nation as a whole. ion as a whole. 

Without student par hout student participation, NAEP would no ion, NAEP would not be as r be as representative 

as it needs t s it needs to be to provide f ovide fair, accurate, and use e, and useful inf ful information on tion on 

student achievement tudent achievement.

“ I was very impressed with NAEP’s 

implementation. All the parents, 

teachers, and the children at the 

school felt very comfortable.”

Why are some schools selected 

more frequently than others?

Each year, a new sample of schools is 

selected. A school’s participation in 

the past has no relation to whether it 

will be selected again in the future. 

To ensure that the student sample 

represents students from large and 

small schools in the appropriate 

proportions, large schools are more 

likely to be selected than small ones. 

If a school is chosen frequently, 

typically it is because the school’s 

enrollment in the grade is larger than 

other schools in the state.

Linda Cobb, Principal

Fair Lawn School Districts, Fair Lawn, NJ

9
On Assessment Day

> NAEP is administered during regular 

school hours.

> NAEP staff will bring necessary 

materials to the schools on 

assessment day.

> Each student is only assessed in one 

subject area.

> Students spend approximately 

90 – 120 minutes taking the 

assessment, including fi lling out 

the student questionnaire, which 

provides contextual information 

such as the amount of reading 

they do and what types of classes 

they take.

Are there accommodations for students with disabilities and for 

English language learners?

Th e goal of off goal of off ering accommodations is t ions is to include as man include as many students students 

as possible in an assessment s possible in an assessment. Th is increases the r ases the representativeness iveness 

of the r f the results f sults for students in the Unit r students in the United States.

Test accommodations are provided f vided for students with disabilities students with disabilities 

and English lang ish language lear ge learners who canno ners who cannot fairly and ac airly and accurately 

demonstr emonstrate their abilities under nor their abilities under normal administr al administration procedures. 

Accommodations ar ions are changes in the wa hanges in the way a test is given, such as iven, such as 

responding t sponding to a question in a diff o a question in a diff erent format or having alt ing alterations 

in the t n the test setting or timing ting or timing.

Th e most fr most frequent ac quent accommodations used in NAEP ar ons used in NAEP are:

>extended time,

> small group administr oup administration,

> reading the question aloud, ading the question aloud,

> having breaks during the t ng the test administr st administration.

However, even with ac even with accommodations, ther ons, there are still some students still some students 

who canno ho cannot participate in NAEP e in NAEP. Th e percentage of students included, e of students included, 

excluded, and ac luded, and accommodated varies by jur s by jurisdiction. Th sdiction. These variations 

should be c ould be considered when c d when comparing student per ing student performance among 

the nation, sta ion, states, and select urban distr s, and select urban districts.

When are the assessments given? 

Main NAEP is c ain NAEP is conducted between the last week of J ween the last week of January and the and the 

fi rst week in Mar st week in March every year. Long-term trend assessments take nd assessments take 

place every four years; during the same academic y he same academic year, 13-year-olds 

are assessed in the f assessed in the fall, 9- all, 9-year-olds in the wint olds in the winter, and 17- and 17-year-olds 

in the spr n the spring.

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A Typical Testing Session 

Every year, NAEP assessments are given in multiple 

subjects in the same classroom. This is a diagram 

of a typical classroom, with the teacher’s desk at 

the top and 30 student desks. The diagram shows 

the distribution of the test booklets.

Students sitting next to each other don’t take the 

same test. NAEP administers all the subjects 

together in the same classroom. This sketch of 

a classroom shows thirty students – the target for 

a NAEP session.

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INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION REPORTING RESOURCES

After an assessment is given and the responses are scored and analyzed, work 

turns to making the complex statistical results useful to the general public. 

NAEP results are used by policymakers, principals, teachers, and parents to 

inform the discussion over education.

Th e results of NAEP ar ults of NAEP are released as Th leased as Th e Nation’sReportCard. Repor . Report 

cards provide results f sults for the na r the nation, sta ion, state, and urban distr , and urban districts (as the cts (as they are 

available). Results ar ailable). Results are provided as s vided as scale scores and achievement levels. es and achievement levels. 

Th e results ar sults are reported in each jur ed in each jurisdiction by gender sdiction by gender, socioeconomic socioeconomic 

status, race/ethnicity thnicity, and o , and other demo ther demographic inf aphic information.

Results f esults for the na r the nation refl ect the per ct the performance of students a of students attending 

public schools ublic schools, private schools schools, Bureau of Indi au of Indian Educa n Education schools, ion schools, 

and Depar nd Department of De ment of Defense schools. Results f nse schools. Results for states and o es and other 

jurisdictions r sdictions refl ect the per ct the performance of students in public schools only of students in public schools only. 

Scale Scores

Scale sc cale scores report what students k t students know and can do now and can do. Th e results ar ults are 

generally reported on 0-300 or 0-500 point scales. B d on 0-300 or 0-500 point scales. Because NAEP ause NAEP 

scales ar cales are developed independently f developed independently for each sub r each subject, scores canno s cannot 

be compared across subjects. 

In addition t n addition to reporting an over ing an overall score for each g r each grade assessed, de assessed, 

scores are reported at fi ve percentiles t ntiles to show tr show trends in r nds in results f sults for 

students per tudents performing at lower (10th and 25th per lower (10th and 25th percentiles), middle entiles), middle 

(50th per 50th percentile), and hig entile), and higher (75th and 90th per er (75th and 90th percentiles) levels. entiles) levels.

12
Achievement Levels

Achievement levels ar ievement levels are standards showing wha showing what students should students should 

know and be able t ow and be able to do along the c do along the continuum of per ntinuum of performance. Based 

on recommendations fr ions from polic m policymakers, educa akers, educators, and members rs, and members 

of the gener f the general public l public, the Gov the Governing Board sets specifi sets specific achievement chievement 

levels f evels for each sub each subject and g ect and grade. NAEP r e. NAEP results ar sults are reported as 

percentages of students per es of students performing at or above the or above the Basicand 

Proficientlevels and a levels and at the Advancedlevel.

> Basicdenotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and owledge and 

skills tha lls that are fundamental f mental for profi cient work a ient work at each grade. 

> Profi cientrepresents solid academic per sents solid academic performance. Students . Students 

reaching this level ha eaching this level have demonstr e demonstrated competency over 

challeng hallenging subject matter.

> Advancedrepresents super sents superior per ior performance.

Where can results be found? 

NAEP results ar ults are available a ailable at http://nationsreportcard.gov. Here, 

users can br sers can browse or download the la wse or download the latest report cards, individual sta s, individual state 

and select distr nd select district profi les, and ac es, and access resources and online d es and online data tools 

that will enable them t will enable them to view moreextensive r nsive results, such as r sults, such as results 

by demographic groups.

Statistical Signifi cance

Because NAEP results are based on 

samples, there is a margin of error 

surrounding each score or percentage. 

Diff erences that are larger than 

the margin of error are statistically 

signifi cant. Signifi cant increases 

or decreases from one assessment 

year to the next indicate that student 

performance has changed. Only 

diff erences that are statistically 

signifi cant are discussed in NAEP 

reports. When interpreting NAEP 

results, it is important to consider 

whether apparent diff erences are 

statistically signifi cant.

“ As a teacher, my constant focus 

is to help students make progress 

in the classroom. NAEP helps with 

this mission by creating a common 

measure of student achievement 

across the country.”

Iris Garcia, Teacher

Biscayne Elementary Community School, Miami Beach, FL

13
INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPATION REPORTING RESOURCES

A number of online tools are available to explore national, state, and select 

urban district NAEP data for various demographic groups. 

NAEP Data Explorer

Th e NAEP D e NAEP Data Explorer (NDE) is a dynamic ) is a dynamic, interactive tool used t l used to 

explore assessment r assessment results f sults for a number of var a number of various subjects, grades, and 

jurisdictions. I sdictions. It allows users t allows users to createcustom statistical tables, g istical tables, graphics, aphics, 

and maps using NAEP d nd maps using NAEP data. Student per Student performance in the c in the context of 

gender, race/ethnicity hnicity, public or pr public or private school, t school, teacher ex acher experience, 

and many other factors can be ex rs can be examined using d ed using data gathered from 

students, t tudents, teachers, and schools tha achers, and schools that have participated in NAEP in NAEP. 

Th e NDE has four different databases: 

> Main NAEP provides na vides national r ional results for various 

subjects sinc cts since 1990. S e 1990. State and select urban distr e and select urban district 

results ar sults are provided in ma vided in mathematics, reading, science, 

and writing. 

> Long-Term Trendprovides na vides national d ional data on 9-, 13-, a on 9-, 13-, 

and 17-year-olds for mathematics and r ics and reading sinc ading since 

the 1970s. he 1970s.

> High School Transcript Studyprovides national vides national 

results for graduating seniors on NAEP assessments ing seniors on NAEP assessments 

in mathematics and scienc ics and science. Results r . Results relate transcript 

data, such as c such as courses taken and g urses taken and grade point a de point average, 

toNAEP results.

> National Indi ional Indian Education S n Education Studyprovides r vides results 

that report on the condition of education f on the condition of education for American 

Indian and A n and Alaska Native students a tive students at grades 4 and 8 ades 4 and 8 

in the Unit n the United States.

To access the NDE, visit: 

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

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NAEP Questions Tool

Th e NAEP Questions T stions Tool (NQT) is a database of mor abase of more than 2,000 than 2,000 

questions fr uestions from past assessments, in nine sub m past assessments, in nine subject areas, tha eas, that have 

been released t leased to the public and will no the public and will not be used a t be used again on NAEP ain on NAEP 

assessments. Th ssessments. Th e NQT allows y NQT allows you to:

> search for questions by sub r questions by subject, grade, diffi ade, diffi culty,and other 

characteristics, 

> view student r student responses, ponses, 

> create customized reports, and mor s, and more. 

You can also vie u can also view scoring guides and per uides and performance data, such 

as the per s the percentage of students na e of students nationwide and in y ide and in your state who 

answered the question c d the question correctly, for most questions. most questions.

“ The Nation’s Report Card describes 

student achievement in ways that 

inform policymakers and educators. 

It’s a really valuable resource.”

Jodi Chesman, Teacher

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

To access the NAEP Questions Tool (NQT), visit:

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

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NAEP Item Maps

NAEP Item Maps displa m Maps display sample NAEP quest sample NAEP questions, or it ons, or items, along with the ms, along with the 

scale sc cale score for students who would r students who would likely answer the question c ikely answer the question correctly. 

Th ey help answer questions, such as, “ help answer questions, such as, “What does it mean f does it mean for a student t r a student to 

be Basic, Proficient, or Advancedin terms of wha s of what they know and can do?” ow and can do?” 

or “What does a par does a particular sc icular score indicate about wha about what a student k t a student knows?”

Th e item maps illustr m maps illustrate the k e the knowledge and sk owledge and skills demonstr lls demonstrated by 

students per tudents performing at diff erent scale sc nt scale scores on a g s on a given assessment ven assessment. 

Th ey also help t also help to provide a c vide a context for understanding NAEP r r understanding NAEP results 

by showing c y showing concrete examples of wha mples of what students a t students at various achievement ous achievement 

levels likely k evels likely know and can do in a sub ow and can do in a subject.

NAEP State Comparisons

NAEP Sta AEP State Compar e Comparisons allows f sons allows for sorting and c ing and comparing state 

results. Th ults. Th is includes the ability t s includes the ability to create tables and maps tha tables and maps that 

compare states and jur s and jurisdictions based on the a sdictions based on the average scale sc scale scores for 

selected groups of public school students within a sing oups of public school students within a single assessment le assessment 

year, or compare the change in per the change in performance between two assessment ween two assessment 

years. Th ars. e tool also displa ol also displays whether the select ther the selected results ar sults are 

statistically diff istically diff erent from one ano m one another.

To access the NAEP State Comparisons tool, visit: 

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

To access the NAEP Item Maps, visit: 

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

16
State Profi les

State Profi les allows users t es allows users to explore key data about a sta a about a state’s 

performance on NAEP on NAEP. Users can vie Users can view how a sta w how a state performed over med over 

time and c ime and compare each sta e each state’s overall performance to the nation 

and other sta her states. Snapsho s. Snapshot reports can also be quick s can also be quickly gener ly generated and 

downloaded. Th ownloaded. The profi les provide easy ac vide easy access to all NAEP d all NAEP data for 

participating sta ing states and link es and links to the most r the most recent sta ent state snapsho snapshots for 

all available sub ilable subjects.

NAEP State Coordinators

NAEP is conducted in partnership with states. NSCs provide many important services for the NAEP 

The NAEP program provides funding for a program. NSCs: 

full-time NAEP State Coordinator (NSC) in > coordinate the NAEP administration in the state, 

each state. He or she serves as the liaison 

> assist with the analysis and reporting of NAEP data, and between NAEP, the state education agency, 

and the schools selected to participate. > promote public understanding of NAEP and its resources.

To fi nd the name and email address of your NAEP State Coordinator, choose your state from the map at 

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

To access the NAEP State Profi les, visit: 

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

17
www.ed.gov ies.ed.gov

For more information about NAEP, visit: 

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

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

https://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