Educators' Frequently Asked Questions About NAEP
What do the NAEP assessments measure, and how is the content determined? A subject-specific content framework, developed by the National Assessment Governing Board, guides each assessment. Frameworks capture a range of subject-specific content and thinking skills needed by students to deal with the complex issues they encounter inside and outside their classrooms. The NAEP frameworks are determined through a framework development process that ensures they are appropriate for current educational requirements. Because the assessments must remain flexible to mirror changes in educational objectives and curricula, the frameworks must be forward-looking and responsive, balancing current teaching practices with research findings. Explore frameworks for all the subjects NAEP assesses. What subjects are assessed by the NAEP program, and how are the subjects chosen? Since its inception in 1969, NAEP assessments have been conducted in numerous academic subjects, including the arts, civics, economics, geography, mathematics, reading, science, U.S. history, and writing. In addition to these subjects, NAEP is developing assessments in foreign language and world history. Beginning with the 2003 assessments, NAEP conducts national and state assessments at least once every two years in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8. Results from these assessments are released six months after administration. These assessments are conducted in the same year, and initial results are released in the fall of that year. Results from all other assessments are released about one year after administration, usually in the spring of the following year. Since 1988, the National Assessment Governing Board has been responsible for selecting the subject areas to be assessed. Furthermore, the Governing Board oversees creation of the frameworks that underlie the assessments and the specifications that guide the development of the assessment instruments. The framework for each subject area is determined through a collaborative development process that involves teachers, curriculum specialists, subject-matter specialists, school administrators, parents, and members of the general public. Is information about the testing procedures available? Yes. Detailed information about each of the assessments is available on the subject pages for each assessment. For example, to find out what the mathematics assessment measures, who was assessed, and how it was administered, explore the mathematics subject page. Do the NAEP assessments replace the state assessments? No. Most state tests measure student performance on the state's own curriculum standards, i.e., what the state considers important for students to know and be able to do. State tests allow comparisons of results over time within the state, and in most cases give individual student scores so that parents can know how their child is performing. State tests do not provide comparisons of results with other states or the nation. Student performance is reported in two ways: in terms of scale scores and achievement levels. Average scale scores are derived from the overall level of performance of groups of students on NAEP assessment items. NAEP subject area average scale scores are typically expressed on a 0–500 (reading, mathematics, history, and geography) or a 0–300 (science, writing, and civics) scale. When used in conjunction with interpretive aids, such as item maps, average scores provide information about what a particular aggregate of students in the population knows and can do. Achievement levels are performance standards set by the National Assessment Governing Board that provide a context for interpreting student performance on NAEP, based on recommendations from panels of educators and members of the public. The levels, which are Basic, Proficient, and Advanced, measure what students should know and be able to do at each grade assessed. Read the detailed mathematics achievement-level and reading achievement-level descriptions. These descriptions are available for each of the subjects NAEP assesses. NAEP provides results about subject-matter performance, instructional experiences, and school environment and reports these results for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and groups of those populations (e.g., male students or Hispanic students). NAEP is not designed to provide individual scores for the students or schools assessed. Because NAEP scales are developed independently for each subject, scale score and achievement-level results cannot be compared across subjects. However, these reporting metrics greatly facilitate performance comparisons within a subject from year to year, and from one group of students to another in the same grade. Why should students participate in NAEP? The participation of each child selected is important to the success of The Nation's Report Card, because only a representative sample will allow the assessment to provide fair, accurate, and useful information on student achievement. Each child represents hundreds of students in his or her state. Without each child's participation, The Nation's Report Card would not fully represent students in similar schools with respect to geographic location, minority enrollment, and other characteristics. NAEP provides the common measure we need to tell us how America's students are performing in various subject areas. It informs us how student performance has changed over time, and allows states to compare their progress with that of other states and the nation as a whole. As the "Nation's Report Card," NAEP must provide data that accurately represent all students. To reduce the burden of testing, NAEP selects the fewest possible schools and students that will provide an accurate picture of a state or the nation. Because of this, it is important that all students selected to participate in NAEP agree to do so. The results are widely publicized. A state's performance is often presented in comparison with other states and the nation, as is the progress that a state makes from one assessment to another. The state board of education and the legislature use the results for planning programs to address specific needs in your state. Are teachers required to prepare their students for NAEP? No. Special preparation is not necessary or expected. There are no scores for individual students or schools, so teachers do not have an incentive to help students practice for any NAEP assessment. How much class time will be taken up by the NAEP assessments? NAEP assessments and questionnaires are designed so that they require only 90 minutes of testing time. Principals and teachers are asked to complete questionnaires—either online or on a paper copy—that take approximately 20 minutes. Teachers may also be asked to fill out questionnaires for their English language learners and students with disabilities. Do students have to leave the classroom to take NAEP? In schools where all students are included in the assessment, NAEP is given in the classroom. In other schools, NAEP program staff work with school officials to find the most appropriate place to give the assessment. Do students receive individual scores? No. NAEP does not report individual student scores. To view your state's performance on the assessment, explore the State Profiles. To compare NAEP performance of the states and the nation, and to see how performance gaps have changed, use State Comparisons. What is the schedule for the NAEP assessments? The principal of each school will be kept informed about the specific schedule for schools and students. The schedule of assessments is also kept up-to-date with current information about the NAEP assessments. Return to Information for Educators.
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