An Introduction to NAEP

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS

U.S. Department of Education

NCES 2008-480 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction 2

Developing the Assessment 4

Participating in NAEP 6

Reporting NAEP Results 12

Resources 16

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 DESIGNATE

NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NEW ORLEANS, LA
The National Assessment of Educational Progress

(NAEP) is the largest nationally representative assessment 

of what America’s students know and can do. 

INTRODUCTION

NAEP provides a common 

yardstick for measuring 

the progress of students’ 

education across the country. While 

each state has its own unique 

assessment, NAEP asks the same 

questions in every state – making 

state comparisons possible.

NAEP has often been called the “gold standard” of 

assessments because of its high technical quality 

and because it represents the best thinking of 

assessment specialists, education experts, teachers, 

and content specialists from around the nation.

NAEP reports information on student 

performance for the nation, states, and in some 

cases, urban districts in a variety of subject areas. 

NAEP also presents results for diff erent student 

groups (including data by gender, socioeconomic 

status, and race/ethnicity). Th e results of NAEP 

are released as Th e Nation’s Report Card. Th ere 

are no results for individual students, classrooms, 

or schools.

Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, 

and researchers all use NAEP results to assess 

progress and develop ways to improve education 

in America. NAEP is a trusted resource and has 

been providing valid and reliable data on student 

performance since 1969.

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NATIONAL: all NAEP assessments provide 

national results.

STATE: at 4th and 8th grades mathematics, 

reading, science, and writing have state 

results. States are required to participate 

in reading and mathematics every other 

year. Some 12th grade state results will 

be available after a pilot study in 2009.

DISTRICT: under a trial program, NAEP 

assessments are conducted in selected 

large urban districts and results are 

available at the district level.

NAEP is an important part of 

American schools today. With 

NAEP, we can see how students 

around the country are performing 

in various subject areas.

NICOLE B. BROWN, TEACHER 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SILVER SPRING, MD

What subjects does NAEP cover?

NAEP has two types of assessments, main NAEP 

and long-term trend NAEP. 

Main NAEP assessments are conducted in a 

range of subjects with fourth-, eighth-, and twelfthgraders across the country. Assessments are given 

most frequently in mathematics, reading, science, 

and writing. Other subjects, such as the arts, 

civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history, are 

assessed periodically.

Long-term trend NAEP measures student 

performance in reading and mathematics, using 

some questions repeatedly to ensure comparability 

across the years. Th e long-term trend assessment 

allows the performance of today’s students to be 

compared with those from more than 30 years 

ago. Th e assessment is administered to 9-, 13-, 

and 17-year-olds every four years. 

Who determines the content of NAEP?

Th e National Center for Education Statistics 

(NCES), a division within the U.S. Department of 

Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, 

administers the assessment. NCES is responsible 

for the development of the test questions, the 

administration of the assessment, scoring, 

conducting analyses, and reporting the results.

Th e content for the assessment is determined 

by the National Assessment Governing Board. Th e 

Governing Board also sets policy for NAEP. Th e 

Governing Board, appointed by the U.S. Secretary 

of Education, consists of 26 members, including 

governors, state legislators, local and state school 

offi cials, educators, business representatives, and 

members of the general public. 

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DEVELOPING THE ASSESSMENT

Frameworks

Each NAEP assessment is built from a content 

framework that specifi es what students should 

know and be able to do in a given grade. Th e 

NAEP framework serves as the blueprint for 

the assessment, specifying what should be 

assessed. Developed under the direction of the 

Governing Board, the framework refl ects the 

knowledge and experience of sources involved in 

education, including subject-area experts, school 

administrators, policymakers, teachers, parents, 

and others. Th e frameworks are available online 

at http://www.nagb.org. 

Question development

Once a framework is developed, NCES creates 

questions that will be part of the assessment. Th e 

development of test questions is guided by the 

specifi cations in the framework. After the questions 

are written, a systematic process of reviews and 

updates begins. NCES seeks the input of reviewers 

T

he 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. 

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from the states and urban districts that participate 

in NAEP, a committee of individuals familiar 

with NAEP and the assessment framework, and 

academic experts and education practitioners. 

Questions also undergo extensive fi eld and pilot 

testing, gathering actual responses from students. 

In order for the public to be familiar with the types 

of questions in NAEP assessments, questions are 

made available to the public and not used again 

in NAEP. NAEP also releases questions so that new 

questions may be added that refl ect content 

that is more current. Th us, the question development 

process is continuous; each time that a set of 

questions is made available to the public, more 

questions must be developed. All questions require 

the same in-depth process of writing, review, and 

testing to ensure that NAEP questions meet NAEP’s 

high quality standards. Th e reviewers examine 

each question for consistency with the framework, 

consideration for what students are being taught, 

and bias that would make a question easier for 

a particular group of students to answer. 

NAEP on the Cutting Edge

As a high quality assessment, NAEP must 

stay on the cutting edge. One of the ways 

this is done is through innovative question 

formats. For example, Hands-On Tasks and 

Interactive Computer Tasks deliver test 

questions using new ways to assess what 

students know and can do.

The development process for these 

types of questions takes even more time 

and expert input than regular NAEP 

questions. Not only must the question 

appropriately address the subject matter, 

but the technology for administering the 

question must be perfected as well. 

NAEP makes state-to-state comparisons 

reliable. Right now every state has 

different state standards and different 

criteria for meeting those standards. 

BARBARA BROWNING, PRINCIPAL 

ROCKTON DISTRICT #140, ROCKTON, IL

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NAEP has been able to provide 

valuable information on the 

performance of American 

students, thanks to the voluntary 

participation of schools and students 

selected to be in the sample. The 

participation of all selected students 

enables NAEP to provide the most 

accurate and representative picture 

of student performance. 

When are the assessments given?

Main NAEP assessments are conducted between 

the last week of January and the fi rst week in 

March every year. Testing for the long-term trend 

assessment takes place with the 13-year-old sample 

assessed in the fall, the 9-year-old sample in the 

winter, and the 17-year old-sample in the spring.

PARTICIPATING IN NAEP

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I was very impressed with NAEP’s 

implementation. All the parents, 

teachers, and the children at the 

school felt very comfortable.

LINDA COBB, PRINCIPAL 

FAIR LAWN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, FAIR LAWN, NJ

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Why Some Schools are 

Frequently Selected

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 district or school 

is unique in its state, it may be selected 

for each assessment cycle. For example, 

a district may be asked to participate 

frequently if it is in the only major 

metropolitan area of a state or has more 

of the state’s minority population.

Who takes NAEP?

NAEP uses a carefully designed sampling procedure 

for the assessment to be representative of schools 

and students in the United States.

 First, schools are selected to be representative 

of schools nationally. 

 Th en, within each school, students are randomly 

selected to participate. 

Each participating student represents hundreds 

of other similar students. These students 

represent the geographic, racial, ethnic, and 

socio-economic diversity that is America’s 

student body today.

How many students participate in NAEP?

When conducting only a national assessment, 

approximately 6,000 to 10,000 students per 

grade are assessed for each subject. When state 

data are being collected, NAEP typically selects 

3,000 students in approximately 100 schools 

in each state for each grade and subject.
Are there accommodations for students with 

disabilities and for English language learners?

Testing accommodations are provided for students 

with disabilities and for English language learners 

who could not fairly and accurately demonstrate 

their abilities without modifi ed test administration 

procedures. These accommodations include 

extra testing time, individual (rather than group) 

administration, and large-print booklets. 

Th e goal is to include as many students as 

possible to obtain the broadest assessment of all 

students. Even with accommodations, there are 

still some students who cannot participate in the 

NAEP assessment. Th e percentage of students 

included, excluded, and accommodated will 

vary by jurisdiction. Th ese variations should be 

considered when comparing student performance 

among states and the nation.

Accommodations 

Some students may not be able to 

meaningfully participate in the assessment 

because of a disability or because 

they are an English language learner. 

Accommodations may be provided to these 

students. Accommodations are a change 

in how a test is presented, in how it is 

administered, or in how the test taker is 

allowed to respond. These changes do not 

alter what the test measures or its rigor. 

NAEP is administered during regular 

school hours. 

All materials are provided at the time that 

the assessment is taken. 

Each student only takes a portion of the 

entire assessment.

The questions are separated into groups and 

packaged into booklets, with the booklets 

being distributed so that only a small 

number of students in a given school 

receive the same assessment booklet.

Students spend about 90 minutes taking the 

assessment, including answering a section 

on background information such as the 

amount of reading they do and what types 

of classes they take. 

What happens when students take NAEP?

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A Typical Testing Session 

Every year, NAEP assessments are given in very year, NAEP assessments are given in 

multiple subjects in the same classroom. ultiple subjects in the same classroom. 

This is a diagram of a typical classroom, with his is a diagram of a typical classroom, with 

the teacher’s desk at the top and 30 student he teacher’s desk at the top and 30 student 

desks. The diagram shows the distribution of esks. The diagram shows the distribution of 

the test booklets. he test booklets.

Students sitting next to each other don’t take the tudents sitting next to each other don’t take the 

same test. NAEP administers all the subjects ame test. NAEP administers all the subjects 

together in the same classroom. This sketch of ogether in the same classroom. This sketch of 

a classroom shows thirty students – the target classroom shows thirty students – the target 

for a NAEP session. or a NAEP session.

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8th Grade Mathematics

Which of the following 

would be best to show the change in 

types of graph 

temperature recorded in a city every 

15 minutes over a 24-hour period?

A Pictograph

B Circle graph

 Line graph

D Box-and-whisker plot

E Stem-and-leaf plot

Why is the gym teacher important in 

the story? Use examples of what he 

says or does in your answer.

What are NAEP questions like?

NAEP assessments include both multiple-choice 

and open-ended questions. After each assessment, 

some NAEP questions are published. Th ese 

questions are available online at http://nces.

ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls and provide 

teachers and parents with samples of questions 

and data on how students performed on each 

question. Teachers may use released NAEP 

questions in their classrooms to see how their 

students compare to the nation.

4th Grade Reading

For the following question, students read 

a story about a young girl who asks her 

teacher for help in rescuing ducks that 

were aff ected by an oil spill in a creek.

Background Questions

Background questions provide additional 

context for understanding the results. 

For instance, on the reading assessment, 

teachers were asked how much time they 

spend on language arts and students 

were asked how often they read for fun. 

Students may also be asked about the 

types of classes they take. Background 

questions provide a more complete 

picture of student performance, but 

on their own do not explain why some 

students do better than others.

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12th Grade Science

Household appliances convert electricity into one or 

more different forms of energy. An electric fan can 

best be described as converting electricity into

A heat energy only 

B heat energy and sound energy only 

 heat energy, sound energy, and mechanical 

 energy only 

D heat energy, sound energy, mechanical 

 energy, and chemical energy

How are the assessments scored?

Computers score multiple-choice questions by 

scanning the assessment booklets. Open-ended 

questions require written answers and a diff erent 

approach to scoring. NAEP was a pioneer in 

developing ways to score these questions. To make 

sure the scoring is reliable and consistent, NAEP:

 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.

Trained scorers evaluate student answers to 

open-ended questions using guides. For example, 

the guide explains how to decide whether a 

student’s response to the question is “extended,” 

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

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In reports with state or urban district results, 

there are sections that provide overview information 

on the performance of these jurisdictions. In 

addition to the report card, more information 

is available online and in one-page summary 

reports called snapshots for each participating state 

or urban district. Th e national results include 

performance of students in public schools, private 

schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and 

Department of Defense schools.

Scale scores

Scale scores report what students know and 

can do on NAEP assessments. NAEP results are 

generally reported on 0-300 or 0-500 point scales. 

Because NAEP scales are developed independently 

for each subject, scores should not be compared 

across subjects.

Results are also reported at fi ve percentiles 

(10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th) to show trends 

in performance for lower-, middle-, and higherperforming students. 

After a NAEP assessment is 

given and the responses are 

scored, work turns to making 

the complex statistics useful to the 

general public. The Nation’s Report 

Card is used by policymakers, state 

and local educators, principals, 

teachers, and parents to inform the 

debate over education. The report 

cards provide national results, trends 

for different student groups, results on 

scale scores and achievement levels, 

and sample questions.

REPORTING NAEP RESULTS

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Special Studies

In addition to the assessments administered 

each year, NAEP coordinates a number 

of related special studies. For example, 

the NAEP High School Transcript Study 

provides information on course offerings 

and course-taking patterns in the nation’s 

secondary schools, and examines the 

relationship with NAEP performance 

at grade 12.

The National Indian Education Study is 

a two-part study designed to describe the 

condition of education for American Indian/

Alaska Native students by focusing on both 

their academic achievement (Part I) and 

educational experiences (Part II) in grades 

4 and 8. The study was conducted by NCES 

at the request of the U.S. Department of 

Education, Offi ce of Indian Education. 

Achievement levels

Achievement levels refl ect what students should 

know and be able to do. Based on recommendations 

from policymakers, educators, and members 

of the general public, the Governing Board sets 

specifi c achievement levels for each subject area 

and grade. To provide a context for interpreting 

student performance, NAEP results are reported as 

percentages of students performing below the Basic

level, at or above the Basic and Profi cient levels, and 

at the Advanced level. 

Basic denotes partial mastery of prerequisite 

knowledge and skills that are fundamental for 

profi cient work at a given grade.

Profi cient represents solid academic performance. 

Students reaching this level have demonstrated 

competency over challenging subject matter. 

Advanced represents superior performance. 

Assessment is important so that 

we can fi nd out how much of the 

information we’ve taught has actually 

been absorbed. Without assessment, 

there is no way to measure that.

LETICIA VALDES-MCGUIRE, TEACHER

HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, RICHMOND, VA

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Results for groups of students

In addition to the overall performance of students 

in the nation and states, results are presented 

by different demographic characteristics. For 

example, NAEP results allow comparisons of 

the performance of various racial/ethnic groups 

over time and changes in the gap between White 

students and their minority peers. Performance by 

gender and by family income is also presented.

On the Web

More extensive NAEP results are available on the 

report release site at http://nationsreportcard.gov. 

In addition to providing information on the latest 

results and news regarding Th e Nation’s Report 

Card, this website also includes results from NAEP 

background questions. 

State/urban district snapshots

While the report cards provide a broad overview 

of the fi ndings for the nation as well as individual 

states and urban districts, snapshots provide 

more details for each participating jurisdiction. 

Each state or urban district snapshot provides 

results on achievement levels and scale scores 

over time, student group performance, achievement 

gaps, and percentiles. Th ese snapshots provide 

an in-depth look from a more local perspective and 

allow for comparisons to the nation.

Trial Urban District Assessment 

The NAEP Trial Urban District 

Assessment (TUDA) is designed to 

explore the feasibility of using NAEP to 

report on the performance of fourth- and 

eighth-grade public school students at 

the district level. Students in the TUDA 

sample are also part of the state and 

national samples. For example, the data 

for students in the Chicago sample will 

be used to report results for Chicago, 

as well as Illinois and the nation. TUDA 

began in 2002 and since then results 

have been reported for 10 large urban 

districts in mathematics, reading, science, 

and writing. In 2009, the program 

expands to include additional districts. 

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RESOURCES

NAEP Data Explorer

Th e NAEP Data Explorer (NDE) provides access to 

both performance and background data, allowing 

numerous comparisons that may not be available 

through either the printed report or the results 

available online. Th is easy-to-use tool gives anyone 

the opportunity to explore the data that they fi nd 

the most interesting.

Th e NDE is a rich and dynamic database of 

NAEP data and has three diff erent versions, each 

allowing users to perform sophisticated searches 

and comparisons of data:

Main NAEP contains data for eight diff erent 

subject areas since 1990, and selected urban 

districts since 2002.

Long-term trend has data for national 

mathematics and reading results from the 1970s. 

High School Transcript Study provides data 

for grade 12 assessment results from the 2005 

math and science assessments for high school 

students who graduated in 2005.

Anumber of tools are available 

online to explore NAEP data 

for various student groups 

at the national, state, and urban 

district levels.

To access the NAEP Data Explorer, visit: 

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

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State Profi les

Key results are presented in the State Profi les, 

including each state’s student and school 

population and its NAEP testing history and 

results. The profiles provide easy access 

to all state NAEP results and links to the 

most recent report cards and maps 

comparing performance between states.

Th e State Comparisons Tool allows

for sorting and comparing state results.

To access the NAEP State Profi les, visit:

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

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

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NAEP Questions Tool

Th e NAEP Questions Tool provides access 

to more than 2,000 questions from NAEP 

assessments in nearly all subject areas, dating from 

1990. Some teachers use the NAEP Questions Tool 

to create quizzes for their students. Th is tool 

allows them to see how their students compare 

to other students across the country.

Th e Questions Tool includes:

 examples of what students should know at 

grades 4, 8, and 12;

 examples of questions that probe students’ 

knowledge of specifi c content areas;

 student responses showing scoring; and

 a way to examine student performance on a 

specifi c question by race/ethnicity, gender, and 

other student groupings.

To access the NAEP Questions Tool, visit: 

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

itmrls

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NAEP Item Maps

NAEP Item Maps help answer the question, 

“What does it mean for a student to be at Basic, 

Profi cient, or Advanced, in terms of what they 

know and can do?” Th e NAEP Item Maps provide 

a context for understanding NAEP results by using 

questions from NAEP assessments to illustrate the 

knowledge and skills demonstrated by students 

performing at diff erent achievement levels. 

Interactive item maps are available for seven 

subjects: civics, economics, mathematics, reading, 

science, U.S. history, and writing. Th e printed 

reports also contain item maps in other subjects.

To access the NAEP Item Maps, visit: 

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

itemmaps/

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NAEP State Coordinators

NAEP is conducted in partnerships with states. 

Each state has the opportunity to have a full-time 

NAEP State Coordinator, the individual who serves 

as the connection between the state education 

agency and schools selected for the sample. Th e 

NAEP State Coordinator ensures the quality of 

the state’s NAEP results, analyzes and reports 

the results, and coordinates state participation in 

review of NAEP assessment questions. 

 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.

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

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

P.O. Box 1398

Jessup, MD 20794

Phone: 877-4ED-PUBS

TTY/TDD: 877-576-7734

http://www.edpubs.org

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