U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2019-153

An Overview 

of NAEP
What is NAEP?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often 

called The Nation’s Report Card, is the largest nationally 

representative and continuing assessment of what students in 

public and private schools in the United States know and are 

able to do in various subjects. Since 1969, NAEP has been a 

common measure of student achievement across the country in 

mathematics, reading, science, and many other subjects. 

Depending on the assessment, NAEP report cards provide 

national, state, and some district-level results, as well as results 

for different demographic groups. 

NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the National 

Center for Education Statistics (NCES), located within the U.S. 

Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. 

NAEP data are also used in special studies conducted by NCES. 

These have included comparisons of proficiency standards 

across state assessments; insights from high school transcripts, 

including courses taken and credits earned; and in-depth looks 

at how different demographic groups perform across different 

types of schools. 

The National Assessment Governing Board, an independent, 

bipartisan organization made up of governors, state school 

superintendents, teachers, researchers, and representatives of 

the general public, sets policy for NAEP. 

How is NAEP different from state assessments?

States have their own assessments, which are designed to provide individual 

student data about achievement based on different content standards, unique 

to each state. NCES administers the same NAEP assessment in every state, 

providing educators, policymakers, and parents with a common measure of 

student achievement that allows for direct comparisons among states and 

participating urban districts. 

The NAEP website provides more extensive information about the 

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

NAEP results are available on The Nation’s Report Card website: 

http://nationsreportcard.gov

The NAEP website features many tools and applications designed to 

provide quick and easy access to NAEP assessment data, examples of 

the types of questions students answer, performance comparisons, 

and more: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/naeptools.aspx
What subjects does NAEP assess?

NAEP includes a range of subjects at grades 4, 8, and 12 to provide a 

comprehensive look at the wide array of academic areas that are a part of 

a student’s education. Subjects include civics, economics, geography, 

mathematics, music and visual arts, reading, science, technology and engineering 

literacy, U.S. history, and writing. 

How are NAEP results reported?

NAEP results are reported for the nation and, in most cases, for states, as well as 

for selected urban districts that participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment 

(TUDA). Results are reported as scores and as percentages of students reaching 

NAEP achievement levels—Basic, Proficient, and Advanced. 

NAEP monitors overall educational progress for the nation, states, TUDA districts, 

and for different groups of students, including students with disabilities and 

English language learners. NAEP is not designed to provide results for individual 

students or schools.

How is technology being used to measure and 

report student skills? 

An increasing number of schools are making digital technologies an integral 

component of the learning environment. To assess students in more 

effective and engaging ways that mirror their classroom experiences, NAEP 

assessments have transitioned from traditional paper-and-pencil to a 

digital format. 

To enhance the student experience, new interactive questions and features 

immerse students in the same types of activities they encounter in digital 

learning environments, which allow students to use multimedia to solve 

real-world problems. In a digital environment, helpful tools and features are 

built directly into the testing platform, making the assessment more accessible 

than ever for students. Digitally based assessments also provide new types of 

data that can deepen our understanding of what students know and are able 

to do in various subjects.

Learn more about digitally based assessments here: http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/dba

How are NAEP results used?

Policymakers, researchers, and educators use NAEP results to inform educational 

improvements across the nation, within states and TUDA districts, and for various 

student groups. Parents, media, and the general public use NAEP results to 

monitor educational progress in their communities and compare performance 

with other regions of the country. NAEP also provides states with a benchmark to 

target important efforts that raise the bar for student achievement and ensure 

that students have equal opportunities to succeed.

Learn how NAEP data are used to inform policy and practice in different states: 

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/policy_practice.aspx
Why is student participation important?

NAEP assesses a sample of students across the country to be 

representative of all students in the United States. Students who are 

selected represent the nation’s geographic, racial, ethnic, and 

socioeconomic diversity. Each student’s participation is critical for 

providing an accurate and complete picture of student achievement and 

ensuring that policymakers, researchers, and educators have reliable data 

to inform educational improvements. 

What is it like for students and schools to 

participate in NAEP? 

NAEP is administered to students during regular school hours. Each 

student is assessed in one subject area. Students spend between 90 

and 120 minutes taking the assessment, including time to complete a 

survey questionnaire. 

NAEP representatives will bring all necessary materials, including 

tablets or laptops for digitally based assessments, to the schools on 

assessment day.

Allowable accommodations are provided as necessary for students 

with disabilities and/or English language learners. 

Student responses on NAEP are private, and the privacy of each 

participating school and student is essential.

What other data are collected during a 

NAEP assessment?

NCES includes survey questionnaires as part of NAEP to collect 

information that helps put the results into context. There are three 

types of survey questionnaires: 

Students complete questionnaires that provide information on 

their opportunities to learn in and outside of the classroom, 

educational experiences, and a variety of other topics, including 

socioeconomic status and technology use. Students may skip 

any question by leaving a response blank.

Teachers responsible for the subject of the administered 

assessment complete questionnaires that gather information 

on teacher trainings and instructional practices.

School questionnaires, usually completed by the principal 

or assistant principal, gather information on school policies 

and characteristics. 

Learn more about these questionnaires here: http://nces.ed.gov/

nationsreportcard/bgquest.aspx

All of the information provided by participants may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in 

identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). By law, every National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) employee as well as every NCES agent, such as contractors and NAEP coordinators, has taken an 

oath and is subject to a jail term of up to 5 years, a fine of $250,000, or both if he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable 

information about participants. Electronic submission of participant’s information will be monitored for viruses, malware, and 

other threats by Federal employees and contractors in accordance with the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015. The collected 

information will be combined across respondents to produce statistical reports.
The following are examples of the types of NAEP questions and features 

students may encounter when participating in digitally based assessments.*

4th Grade Mathematics

Students use the online ruler to measure objects and then answer multiple-choice 

questions in a grade 4 mathematics digitally based assessment administered on 

a tablet.

8th Grade Technology and Engineering Literacy

In 2014, NAEP administered the first-ever technology and engineering literacy 

assessment on laptops. This question assessed grade 8 students’ understanding of 

the recycling process and its impact on society.

12th Grade Science

Students can use an online slider to observe changes in a nuclear reaction and 

then answer this multiple-choice question in a grade 12 science digitally based 

assessment administered on a tablet.

* The 4th grade and 12th grade questions are not released assessment questions, but represent what students might be asked 

during a NAEP digitally based assessment. The 8th grade sample question was released from the 2014 NAEP technology and 

engineering literacy assessment.
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Find us on: This publication was prepared for the National 

Center for Education Statistics by Hager Sharp 

under contract ED-IES-13-C-0025.