NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-1

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS

Appendix D 

Sample Parental Notification Letter

Request for System Clearance for 

NAEP Assessments for 2014-2016 

OMB# 1850-0790 v.36
NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-2

Appendix D: Sample Parent/Guardian Notification Letter

NAEP (NAEP Assessment Year) PARENT/GUARDIAN NOTIFICATION LETTER

(School Letterhead)

(Insert Date Here)

Dear Parent or Guardian:

We are pleased to tell you that (school name) has been selected to represent schools across our state and the 

nation by participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is given by the National 

Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education and tells us what our nation’s students 

know and can do in key subject areas. It is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment and 

has been providing valid and reliable data on student performance since 1969.

The results of NAEP are published in a report called The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about 

student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.

In our school, the NAEP assessment will be given on (date) in (subject). Your child (may be/has been) selected to 

take the assessment. In addition to subject area questions, students will be asked some questions about 

themselves and their educational experience. You can access student and sample assessment questions at 

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

It will take about (assessment time) minutes for most students to complete NAEP. The results are completely 

confidential (in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public 

Law 107-347), and the information provided will be used for statistical purposes only. Your child’s grades will not 

be affected. Your child may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish the assessment, 

and may skip any test question. While NAEP is voluntary, we depend on student participation to provide an 

accurate measure of student achievement that will inform improvements in education. Your child will represent 

many other students, so participation is very important. However, if you do not want your child to participate, 

please notify me in writing by (date).

There is no need to study in preparation for NAEP. We do ask parents to encourage their children to do their best 

and to have them get plenty of rest the night before the assessment.

If you would like to have additional information about NAEP, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard. If 

you have questions or would like to review a booklet that includes sample subject area and student questions, 

please contact me at (telephone number) or via e-mail at (e-mail address).

We are excited that our school will be participating in NAEP, and we are pleased that your child (may be/has 

been) selected. We know that (school name)'s students will help us show what (state name)’s students know 

and can do.

Sincerely,

School Principal
NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-1

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS

Appendix E 

Sample School Coordinator Responsibilities

Request for System Clearance for 

NAEP Assessments for 2014-2016 

OMB# 1850-0790 v.36
NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-1

Appendix E: Sample Description of School Coordinator Responsibilities

NAEP (NAEP Assessment Year) School Coordinator Responsibilities

As the school coordinator, you are the liaison for all NAEP 

assessment activities in your school. 

In the fall, you will be responsible for: 

Registering for the MySchool website. 

MySchool is used to collect information about your school and provide you with documents that you can download and 

customize throughout the NAEP assessment process. Multiple school staff may register to access the site. To register for 

MySchool, go to www.mynaep.com and complete the form using the registration ID provided by your NAEP State or 

Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) Coordinator.

Completing and submitting school information. 

Click on “Provide School Information” on MySchool to enter and submit information about your school so that materials 

can be prepared for the assessment. 

If requested, providing the NAEP State or TUDA Coordinator with a list of <selected> grade students. 

NAEP requires a complete list of students in the selected grade in order to select a random sample of students to 

participate in the assessment. This list provides demographic information about students who will be assessed. It is 

usually submitted electronically and may be prepared by the school, district, or state. Your NAEP State or TUDA 

Coordinator will inform you if you need to provide this list. Student names will always be kept confidential and 

individual student responses or scores are never reported. 

Before the assessment date, you will be responsible for: 

Preparing for the assessment.

Numerous activities need to be completed early in January to ensure a successful assessment.

 Identify teachers who teach the assessed subjects to your <selected>-grade students.

 Arrange logistics for the assessment. 

 Review the instructions for distributing and completing the worksheets for students identified as 

English language learners and/or students with disabilities, and distribute them to the staff person(s) 

most knowledgeable about how these students are tested on your state assessment. 

Informing parents/guardians.

By law, parents/guardians of children selected to participate in NAEP must be informed prior to 

administration of the assessment that their child has been selected for the assessment, may be excused 

from participation for any reason, is not required to finish the assessment, and is not required to answer all 

test questions. Your NAEP State or TUDA Coordinator will provide a Sample Parent/Guardian 

Notification Letter and additional information about how this requirement should be fulfilled. These 

details, as well as electronic copies of the letter, will be provided through MySchool. Parent notification 

should be completed prior to the pre-assessment visit. Parents may also visit 

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/ to find out more about NAEP.
NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-2

Meeting with the NAEP staff during the scheduled pre-assessment visit.

In late January, you will meet with the NAEP representative to go over information related to the NAEP 

administration. During the meeting, you will review the list of selected students to verify that their 

demographic information is accurate and complete. Details for the assessment day will be finalized, such 

as which students will require accommodations, how NAEP will be administered, the time and locations 

of the assessment, and how students and teachers will be notified. The NAEP representative will also 

verify that parents have been notified and will collect a copy of the parent notification letter during this 

visit. 

Promoting the importance of NAEP with school staff.

Teachers are essential for motivating students to do their best on NAEP. The following are some 

suggestions on how to gain teacher support: 

 Show the 5-minute NAEP video, Introducing NAEP to Teachers, at a faculty meeting. This video

can be accessed at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/videos/naep4th8th.asp.

 Inform teachers that released NAEP questions and responses, which they can use in their 

classroom, are accessible on the NAEP Questions Tool at http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/.

Promoting the importance of NAEP with students. 

Students who are selected for NAEP will represent students across the nation, so it is vital that these 

<selected grade>-graders participate and do their best. The following are some suggestions on how to 

encourage students to do their best: 

 Speak with participating students prior to assessment day. Let them know why NAEP is 

important. 

 Consider ways to thank students for their participation. 

 Inform students that they can find past NAEP results by visiting The Nation’s Report Card 

website, http://nationsreportcard.gov/.

 Inform students that individual results are not released to the public and that NAEP only takes 90–

120 minutes to complete.

On the assessment date, you will be responsible for:

Ensuring that students attend the session. 

Prior to the assessment start time, you will need to be available to ensure that students attend. You are 

encouraged to remain in the room during the assessment. NAEP staff will bring all assessment materials 

to the school and will conduct the session(s). It is very important that attendance rates be as high as 

possible to avoid the need for makeup sessions. If attendance of sampled students is less than 90 percent, 

a makeup session will be needed, and the NAEP representative will schedule another date to administer 

the assessment to the students who were absent. 

Thank you in advance for your help preparing for this important

assessment!