How NAEP Is Administered

NAEP Staff

NAEP field staff go into schools across the nation to administer assessment exercises to students who are part of the NAEP sample. Teachers and principals are asked to complete survey questionnaires to provide context for student results. The NAEP field staff are responsible for conducting assessments and an extensive quality-assurance program.

NAEP field staff, who are responsible for all assessment day activities, are trained to collect and safeguard NAEP assessment data to guarantee its accuracy and integrity as well as to provide support to and reduce the burden for participating schools throughout the assessment process. The NAEP field staff receives extensive training in administering NAEP assessments. Such training includes (but is not necessarily limited to) learning about procedures to do the following tasks:

• schedule assessments with the schools;
• provide schools with information about notifying parents/guardians;
• review contextual information about students, such as whether students who participate in the National School Lunch Program receive free or reduced-price lunches;
• prepare School, Teacher, and Student Questionnaires for distribution within schools (additional information is collected for students with disabilities or English language learners on worksheets);
• distribute student assessment materials or administer digitally based assessments, as appropriate;
• time the administration of the assessment;
• administer accommodations sessions, as needed;
• use scripts to guide students through different sections of the assessments;
• answer and track questions students may have during the assessments;
• conduct quality control of all assessment materials following administration; and ship materials to the scoring facility.

NAEP field staff sign and observe The NAEP Code of Ethics (35 KB). This Code defines the principles that are the foundation for fair and accurate test administration and data collection.

NAEP School Coordinators

Individual schools participating in NAEP designate an in-school staff member to be the school coordinator. The school coordinator collaborates on assessment activities with NAEP professional field staff. School coordinators achieve the following tasks with the help of the field staff and the NAEP State Coordinator:

• schedule the assessment date;
• provide a list of all eligible students for sampling;
• inform teachers and students about the assessment;
• inform parents about the assessment;
• provide space for the assessment;
• receive the school preassessment packet and conduct final preparation for the assessment;
• and distribute survey questionnaires to the appropriate school staff and collect completed questionnaires.

If you need additional information about NAEP administration from the administration manuals, please send a description of the type of information needed (including the year and the assessment) using the form for ordering NAEP publications. If you are interested in becoming a NAEP field administrator, please check for available opportunities.