NAEP Writing -- Writing 2002 major results



	Approximate number of students assessed in 2002: 139,000 fourth-graders 119,000 eighth-graders 19,000 twelfth-graders
	Students are asked to write for three main purposes: narrative, informative, and persuasive.
	Students are asked to write in a variety of forms and for many different audiences.
	Students write from a variety of stimulus materials, including photographs, cartoons, letters, and poems.

	Students are asked to generate, draft, revise, and edit ideas and forms of expression in their writing.

Fourth- and eighth-grade students make gains in writing since 1998, while changes for high school seniors are not statistically significant.

	Gains are seen in fourth- and eighth-graders reaching the Proficient level.

Of 36 jurisdictions that participated in 1998 and 2002 grade 8 writing assessments, 16 show score increases in 2002.

	Explore results of the first-ever Trial Urban District Assessment in writing.

View results for various subgroups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity) of students to determine whether their performance has improved since 1998.

See the NCES Associate Commissioner's statement about the national/state writing results and the district writing results.

See the statements by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige on the national/state writing results and the district writing results.

Read the National Assessment Governing Board's release on the national/state writing results and the district writing results.

Download the Highlights Report for a printed version of the major results.

View the Snapshot reports for participating states at grade 4 and grade 8.

Explore all the data associated with the assessment in the NAEP Data Tool.

Explore the data on nonpublic school performance at grade 4 and grade 8.

Find out more information about the writing assessment.