Since 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has compared each state's standard for proficient performance in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 by placing the state standards onto a common scale of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This process of "state mapping" shows where each state's standards falls on the NAEP scale and in relation to the NAEP achievement levels: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced, providing important contributions to the discussion of state standards.
The 2017 report summarizes the results of applying a methodology for mapping state proficiency standards onto the NAEP scales. This analysis used state public school data for the 2016–17 school year, and the 2017 NAEP assessments in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8. The 2017 results are also compared with 2007 results (to show longer- term trends) and 2015 results (to show more immediate changes) in the report. This report also analyzed the standards of proficient performance of the three major testing programs: ACT Aspire (ACT), The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).
See frequently asked questions about Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales: 2017.