The NAEP technology and engineering literacy (TEL) assessment is currently under development. A pilot assessment will be administered in 2013 to students at grade 8. The assessment will be fully operational in 2014 and will be administered to students at grade 8. In the future, the assessment may be administered to students at grades 4 and 12.
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Because of the growing importance of technology and engineering in the educational landscape, and to support America's ability to contribute to and compete in a global economy, the National Assessment Governing Board initiated development of the first national assessment in technology and engineering literacy. Under the guidance of the Board, the 2014 Abridged Technology and Engineering Literacy Framework 
(2.21 MB) was developed to guide the development of the assessment. NAEP frameworks incorporate expertise and input from subject area experts, school administrators, policymakers, teachers, and parents and describe the assessment content and how students' responses will be evaluated.
More than testing students for their ability to “do” engineering or produce technology, TEL is designed to gauge how well students can apply their understanding of technology principles to real-life situations. Find out more about what the assessment measures and how technology and engineering are defined.
TEL marks a departure from the typical NAEP assessment design because it is completely computer-based and includes interactive scenario-based tasks―an innovative component of NAEP. Students will be asked to perform a variety of these interactive tasks to solve problems within realistic scenarios. Examples of interactive tasks are available in the interactive version of the TEL framework. In addition to scenario-based tasks, TEL will also rely on short-answer and multiple-choice questions to measure students’ knowledge and skills.
In 2014, the NAEP TEL assessment will be administered to a national sample of eighth-grade students in public and private schools. Eventually, TEL will be administered to grades 4, 8, and 12.
Before the assessment begins, students will view a tutorial that will help them become familiar with the interface and how to use the program. NAEP representatives will bring all the necessary materials to the school on assessment day, including laptop computers and earbuds. It will take approximately 120 minutes for students to complete the assessment.
Watch the TEL video and find out more about the assessment.
For an overview of the TEL framework, see the 2014 Abridged Technology and Engineering Literacy Framework (2.21 MB).
Learn more about NAEP, the nation's only ongoing assessment of what students know and can do in various subject areas.
Explore the most recent NAEP results in any subject on the The Nation’s Report Card website.
