Arts
Average scores and coursetaking in arts was not significantly different from 2008; regional and gender score differences apparent.
What Questions Are on the Test
The NAEP arts framework defines content areas and levels of complexity for questions on NAEP. Using the dashboard below, explore sample questions from recent arts assessments by subject, content area, and range of difficulty. Sample Questions are sourced from the NAEP Questions Tool, a database which houses over 3,000 assessment questions.
How Results Are Reported
Academic achievement in arts is presented in two ways on The Nation's Report Card: scale scores and NAEP percentiles:
- Scale scores represent how students performed on the arts assessment. Scores are aggregated and reported for diverse student groups for the nation, states, and districts.
- Percentiles show score results for students performing at lower (10th and 25th percentiles), middle (50th percentile), and higher (75th and 90th percentiles) levels on the reporting scale.
Item maps illustrate how specific arts knowledge and skills correspond to the 25th and 75th NAEP percentiles. Item maps answer the question, "What assessment questions were likely to be answered correctly by lower- and higher-performing students?"
Last updated 04 August 2025 (AA)