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Parents' Frequently Asked Questions About NAEPWhat is the NAEP Assessment?
What will participation in NAEP mean for my child?
How can I get more information, ask questions, or make comments?
What is the NAEP Assessment?NAEP, or the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is often called the "Nation's Report Card." It is the only measure of student achievement in the United States that allows you to compare the performance of students in your state with the performance of students across the nation or in other states. NAEP, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, has been conducted since 1969 and produces results that are widely reported by the national and local media. Learn more about NAEP and its history of educational assessment. Does NAEP replace the state tests that my child takes every year? No. Most state tests measure student performance according to the state's own curriculum standards (i.e., what the state considers important for their students to know and be able to do). State tests enable the comparison of results over time within the state, but, because state tests are created according to their individual curriculum standards, they do not provide comparisons of results with other states or the nation. Because the NAEP assessment framework allows for the accurate comparison of results between individual states and the nation, NAEP helps states answer such questions as the following: How does the performance of students in my state compare with the performance of students in states with similar resources or demographics? How does my state's performance compare with the region's? Are my state's gains in student performance keeping up with the pace of improvement in other states? Additionally, in most cases, state tests will return scores for individual students so that parents can know how their child is performing. NAEP does not record individual student results, in order to ensure confidentiality. In these ways, state achievement tests and NAEP work together to give educators and policymakers a comprehensive picture of student performance. Why does my state participate in NAEP? One reason a state may choose to participate in NAEP is that it considers NAEP data to be a valuable source of information. Some states use NAEP results to supplement the information they get from their own tests, since NAEP allows your state to compare how it performs relative to the nation and other states. Since 1992, more than 40 states have participated in every state NAEP assessment. Another reason for state participation, beginning with the NAEP 2003 assessment, was the passage of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. The NCLB laws were passed by the U.S. Congress in 2001 and require that states receiving federal "Title I" education funds participate in NAEP reading and mathematics assessments at grades 4 and 8 every two years (view the assessment schedule). You can see your state's participation history and performance by selecting your state from the NAEP State Profiles. Within your state's profile you will find visual displays that permit you to compare your state's performance with that of the nation and other states. Why is this this the first time I have heard of NAEP? The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is usually referred to as "NAEP" during the preparation for and administration of the assessment. Once the results have been processed and compiled into the results that are presented to the public, it is known as the Nation’s Report Card. Because of this different terminology, many people who have never been involved in the assessment may never have heard of NAEP, even if they have heard of the Nation’s Report Card. How many schools in my state have been selected? In a typical state, 100 schools are selected for grade 4 assessment, and 100 schools for grade 8 assessment. These schools are selected to represent the demographic and geographic composition of the state. Get more information about how schools are selected and how NAEP is administered. Why doesn't NAEP test every grade? NAEP tests small samples of students at grades 4, 8, and 12 for the main assessments, and at ages 9, 13, or 17 years for the long-term trend assessments. These specific three grades and ages represent critical junctures in academic achievement. Limiting the assessment to three ages provides valuable data while limiting the burden on schools. What will participation in NAEP mean for my child?How was my child selected? Is it really a random selection? Your child was randomly selected to participate as a representative of students in your state who attend schools with similar characteristics. Your child was selected from a list of all grade- or age-eligible students in his school, including students with special needs. NAEP staff selects students from this list by using a statistically valid randomization process. Neither a student’s class performance nor a school’s standing within the district or state has any bearing upon its selection for the assessment. Because NAEP does not report scores for individual schools or their students, there should be no internal pressure to select certain students or schools for assessment. Post-assessment checks on collected data would reveal any bias that might have occurred during selection. Does my child have to take NAEP? No. Unlike your state's assessment, which is mandatory for students, NAEP is voluntary. However, your child was selected as a representative for hundreds of students within your state. If all selected students participate, NAEP provides a very accurate measurement of your state's overall composition and achievement. States want their NAEP results to be accurate and fair indicators of how well their students are doing. Your state's performance on NAEP is often presented in comparison with that in other states and the nation, as is the progress that your state makes from one NAEP assessment year to another. Your state board of education and state legislature may use the NAEP results for planning programs to address specific education needs in your state. It is also worth noting that the amount of federal funding that your state receives may be affected by participation in NAEP. Learn more about why your participation in NAEP is important. Will my child's answers be kept confidential? Yes. Your child's name will not be associated with his completed assessment booklet. After students complete the assessment, their names are physically removed from the booklets and are never linked to a specific booklet or a test score. Instead of reporting individual scores, NAEP combines all student responses to provide information on the performance of groups of students. NAEP reports overall results for the nation, the states, and for groups of students, such as males and females. The NAEP assessment is confidential. It is against federal law to identify any student participating in the assessment and the law specifies severe penalties for anyone revealing the identity of the participating students. In its 30-year history, that security has never been broken. Will taking NAEP affect my child's grade? No. NAEP does not calculate individual students' scores. Just as the government does not have access to information about how your child performs on NAEP, neither does your child's school, nor your child's teacher. Will I get to see the results of my child's test? No. There are no individual student results. However, you can find out how your state performed by clicking on your state in the NAEP State Profiles. If you'd like to explore the results in more detail, check out the wide variety of NAEP data tools that allow you to view the NAEP results from many different angles, or visit the subject pages for mathematics, reading, and other subjects. How long does the NAEP assessment take? From beginning to end, NAEP assessments take less than 90 minutes. This includes setting up, taking the assessment, and getting back to instructional activities. There is no penalty for not completing the assessment in the time permitted. A student may stop taking the assessment or omit questions at any point. Will my child's teacher spend class time helping students get ready for NAEP? No. Special preparation is not necessary or expected. The material in the assessment was carefully designed to encompass those topics that should already be a part of the general curriculum for grades 4, 8, and 12. Moreover, there are no scores for individual students or schools, so teachers do not have an incentive to help students practice for any NAEP test. Where can I see the assessment that my child will take? Booklets containing sample test questions and all background questions are available on the NAEP website. In addition, more than two thousand released NAEP questions are online in the easy-to-use NAEP Questions Tool. These sources provide you with a very good picture of the assessment that your child may take. However, you may arrange to see the actual test questions on this year's assessment in a secure location. To view these assessment questions that have not yet been made public, please contact your NAEP State Coordinator, whose name can be found through your state's profile, or send a written request to the National Assessment Governing Board either by e-mailing NAGB@ed.gov or by mailing to: National Assessment Governing Board The NAEP assessment is administered by a nationwide staff of about 3,000 people, many of whom are retired teachers. All NAEP administrators undergo rigorous security clearances. They are also trained in confidentiality and security procedures. In all cases, teachers are encouraged to remain in the testing area with their students during the assessment. Your state also has a NAEP coordinator, who helps answer questions about NAEP and who communicates with the NAEP administrators. To find your NAEP State Coordinator, select your state or other jurisdiction from the NAEP State Profiles. May my child with disabilities participate in NAEP? Her IEP does not specifically address NAEP. The decision to include students with disabilities in NAEP assessments is made by school personnel, who decide whether students can meaningfully be assessed with or without accommodations based on information in a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Generally, children who are included in the state or local testing program are included in NAEP, if selected. Special-needs students use the same accommodations in NAEP assessments that they use in their usual classroom testing, unless the accommodation would make it impossible to measure the ability, skill, or proficiency being assessed (e.g., reading aloud to a student in a reading assessment) or the accommodation is not possible for the NAEP program to administer. For instance, NAEP assessments cannot be extended over several days because NAEP administrators are in each school only one day. Some of the most common NAEP accommodations for students with disabilities are large-print books, extended time, small-group or one-on-one testing, oral reading of directions, and use of an aide for transcribing responses. English is not my child's native language. Will he be able to take NAEP? Probably. NAEP tries to be as inclusive as possible. If a child has received academic instruction in English for three years or more (including the present year), he or she is expected to participate in NAEP if selected. Students with fewer than three years of English instruction should also participate in NAEP if selected, unless their school decides they are incapable of participating in the assessment in English. Accommodations may be allowed. One of the most common accommodations for students classified as English language learners (ELL) is extended time to answer assessment questions. May my child take NAEP if he or she was not selected? No. Through a careful process, NAEP selects the smallest number of students possible that are needed to represent your state and the nation fairly and accurately. This procedure minimizes the expenditure of time and effort by participants and administrators, while still allowing NAEP to obtain an accurate and useful measure of student performance. How can I get more information, ask questions, or make comments?Where can I get additional information? There are several ways to get more information about NAEP. The NAEP website, for example, contains a wealth of information about the assessment. The website is updated frequently, so please check back often. If your child was selected for NAEP, you can also contact the principal in your child's school or your state's NAEP Coordinator, both of whom have additional information about NAEP. You'll find the name of your State Coordinator in your state's profile or by contacting Sherran Osborne in the U.S. Department of Education at sherran.osborne@ed.gov. What if I want to make suggestions about the assessment? Your suggestions are welcomed because they help us improve NAEP to better serve the children and teachers who give their time in taking the tests. Your questions also help NAEP provide the best information possible to state education leaders, the U.S. Department of Education, and Congress. Your comments can be made through the NAEP website's Contact Us, by contacting your NAEP State Coordinator (find your coordinator in the NAEP State Profiles), or by contacting Sherran Osborne in the Department of Education at sherran.osborne@ed.gov. We hope that these resources will address any questions or concerns you may have. If, however, you do not feel that your concerns have been adequately resolved, you may file a formal complaint by writing to the National Assessment Governing Board. Send e-mail to NAGB@ed.gov or mail the National Assessment Governing Board at: National Assessment Governing Board Include a description of your complaint, along with your name and your mailing address. The National Assessment Governing Board will send you a letter in the mail acknowledging receipt of your complaint. It will then be considered through a formal review process. At the conclusion of this process, you will be sent a written response by mail. For more information on the NAEP complaint review process, please go to http://www.nagb.org/release/policies_procedures.doc (107K Microsoft Word document). What is the schedule for NAEP? National Assessment of Educational Progress
NOTE: The assessment schedule is based on conservative estimates of costs and anticipated appropriations. The Nation's Report Cards report average student performance only—no results are reported for individual schools or students. See a history of NAEP assessments for past assessments or see a schedule of NAEP assessments for the schedule beyond 2011.
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