What the Assessment Measures—State

Subject Area Achievement

State NAEP measures the knowledge of fourth- and eighth-grade students in four subject areas as follows:

• mathematics
• reading
• science
• writing

The NAEP subject assessments are based on frameworks that provide the theoretical basis for the assessment, and specific direction for what kinds of knowledge and skills should be assessed, how the exercises should be designed, and how student responses should be scored.

The frameworks are the result of a comprehensive effort in which teachers, curriculum experts, policymakers, and members of the general public worked 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. 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.

The kinds of questions NAEP asks, as well as the scoring guides for constructed response questions and student responses can be found in the NAEP Questions Tool.

Background Questions

In addition to testing cognitive abilities, NAEP collects information that helps to put student achievement in context. Four kinds of questionnaires provide context for NAEP assessment results, as follows:

• student questionnaires, which examine general educational experiences, subject area experience, and motivation on the assessment;
• teacher questionnaires, which gather data on background and training and classroom-by-classroom information;
• school questionnaires, which ask about school characteristics and resources; and
• SD/LEP questionnaires (for students with disabilities or limited English proficient students, completed by the school staff person most familiar with the student selected in the sample).

These questionnaires are developed using a framework and process similar to that used for developing the cognitive questions. This process includes reviews by external advisory groups and field-testing. When developing the questionnaires, NAEP ensures that the questions do not infringe on respondents' privacy and do not evaluate or assess personal or family beliefs and attitudes, that they are grounded in educational research, and that the answers can provide information relevant to the subject being assessed. The questionnaires appear in separately timed blocks of questions in the assessment booklets, such as the student questionnaires, or they are printed separately, such as the teacher, school, and SD/LEP (students with disabilities or limited English proficient students) questionnaires.

Go to the NAEP Data Tool for in-depth data results on student achievement and educational contexts related to that achievement.

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Last updated 23 December 2002 (HM)