What the Assessment Measures—StateState NAEP measures the knowledge of fourth- and eighth-grade students in four subject areas: For 2009, several states have volunteered to participate in the first-ever NAEP state assessment at grade 12 in mathematics and reading. The NAEP subject assessments are based on frameworks that establish the theoretical bases for the assessments. The frameworks provide specific direction for what kinds of knowledge and skills should be assessed for each subject, how the exercises should be designed, and how student responses should be scored. The frameworks are not based upon any existing state curriculum, but rather on a consensus of what is expected to be taught nationally at the NAEP grade levels, developed by educators and measurement specialists throughout the nation. The assessment frameworks are the result of a comprehensive effort by teachers, curriculum experts, policymakers, and members of the general public to create a unified vision of how a particular subject ought to be assessed. This vision is based on current educational research on achievement and its measurement, and good educational practices. For each subject, a development committee and measurement specialists from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) work to create the assessment questions and scoring criteria according to the framework specifications. Afterwards, educators, measurement experts, subject area researchers, and state officials review all exercises and scoring criteria to ensure that the assessment meets the requirements of the framework. Further descriptions of the item development process and the technical details of this process are available on this website. The types of questions that NAEP asks, as well as the scoring guides for constructed response questions and student responses, can be found in the NAEP Questions Tool. In addition to testing cognitive abilities, NAEP collects information that helps to contextualize student achievement. Four kinds of background questionnaires help to put the NAEP assessment results in context. Go to the NAEP Data Explorer for in-depth data results on student achievement and educational contexts related to that achievement. Examine NAEP results in greater detail using a variety of NAEP data tools.
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