NAEP - Distribution of Reading Questions 2007

Distribution of Reading Questions 2007

The assessment framework specifies not only the particular dimensions of reading literacy to be measured, but also the percentage of assessment questions that should be devoted to each. The target percentage distribution for contexts for reading and aspects of reading as specified in the framework, along with the actual percentage distribution in the assessment are presented in the tables below.

Target and actual percentage distribution of questions, by context for reading, grade 4 and 8: 2007
	Target	Actual	Target	Actual
Context	Grade 4		Grade 8
Reading for literary experience	55	51	40	36
Reading for information	45	49	40	40
Reading to perform a task	†	†	20	24
† Not applicable. Reading to perform a task was not assessed at grade 4.
SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2007 Reading Assessment.

The proportion of items related to each context for reading changes from grade to grade to reflect the changing demands made of students as they mature.

Target and actual percentage distribution of student time, by aspect of reading, grade 4 and 8: 2007
	Target	Actual	Target	Actual
Context	Grade 4		Grade 8
Forming a general understanding/developing interpretation	60	79	55	60
Making reader text connections	15	10	15	17
Examining content and structure	25	14	30	23
NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2007 Reading Assessment.

The table above shows the percentage of time students in a given grade would spend on NAEP items that measure each aspect of reading (general understanding and developing interpretation are combined) if they responded to all items in the NAEP reading assessment.

Distribution of Reading Questions 2007

Last updated 06 July 2007 (FW)