NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card Highlights

September 1999

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American students' achievement in writing at the end of the twentieth century is an important indicator of whether young adults in the twenty-first century will have the writing skills necessary to express themselves clearly. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), America's only ongoing survey of what students know and can do in various academic subjects, is one resource that can help inform the public about students' academic preparedness in writing.

The NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) with oversight by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). In 1998, NAEP administered a writing assessment to a national sample representative of all students at grades 4, 8, and 12 and to state samples representative of all students at grade 8 in the states and other jurisdictions participating in the state-by-state assessment. The results of the assessment provide a snapshot of American students' achievement in writing.

This publication presents highlights from the 1998 NAEP writing assessment, describing its content, major findings at the national and state levels, and students' experiences at home and in school that appear to be associated with achievement in writing.

Download the complete report in a PDF file for viewing and printing. 668K

NCES 1999-464 Ordering information

Suggested Citation
U.S. Department of Education. Office of Educational Research and Improvement. National Center for Education Statistics. The NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card Highlights, NCES 1999-464. Washington, DC: 1999.

Last updated 14 March 2001 (RH)