More About NAEP Writing

The NAEP writing assessment presents a broad view of how well America's students are writing--one of the most important skills that young people can acquire and develop throughout their lives. The assessment exercises and scoring criteria were developed by a committee of writing and measurement experts to capture the goals of the NAEP Writing Framework. The framework, which describes the goals of the assessment and what kind of exercises it ought to feature, was created by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) through a development process involving writing teachers and researchers, measurement experts, policymakers, and members of the general public. This framework shaped the 1998, 2002, and 2007 writing assessments. The 2007 Writing Development Committee was instrumental in developing new material for the 2007 assessment, guided by the framework.

The assessment prompts focused on the following three purposes for writing to ensure that it reflected writing genres receiving the most emphasis in classroom instruction:

• Narrative writing (telling a story)—writers incorporate their imagination and creativity in the production of stories or personal essays;
• Informative writing (informing the reader)—writers provide the reader with information, e.g., reporting on events or analyzing concepts; and
• Persuasive writing (persuading the reader)—writers seek to persuade the reader to take action or to bring about change.

NAEP also gives background questionnaires to students, teachers, and schools that are part of the NAEP sample. Responses to these questionnaires provide contextual information, such as how teachers teach writing, what kinds of writing students experience in class, and what educational resources are available at schools.

For more information about NAEP, the nation's only ongoing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects, go to Overview.

View the NAEP 2007 Writing Report Card.

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Last updated 22 January 2008 (RF)