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The Nation's Report Card: It's More Than Just a Test

Our children take tests for everything, but the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - also called The Nation's Report Card - is unique.

The Nation's Report Card is a resource - a national wake up call - because it offers a window into the state of our K-12; education system and what our children are learning. The results provide educators, policymakers, elected officials, and parents across the country with invaluable information regarding how our children are doing compared to other children in large urban districts, other states, and the nation.

When our children participate in NAEP, they are helping to inform decisions about how to improve education in your state and in our country. The participation of your child can and often does lead to change.

Father helping his daughter with homework.

NAEP in the News

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NAEP data are discussed and cited frequently in education news, as shown in the above articles. Please note that NCES is not affiliated with and does not endorse any media outlets or publications.

NAEP Sparks Change Across the Country

Iowa

NAEP survey questionnaire data showed that eighth- and twelfth- grade students in Iowa were less likely than their peers across the country to take advanced mathematics courses. This information led the Statewide Mathematics Leadership Team-a team of district and regional educators focused on supporting mathematics instruction, assessment, and professional development-to take action to encourage higher levels of mathematics enrollment across Iowa.

Mississippi

Prior to 2013, Mississippi NAEP scores were far below the national average. To address this concern, Mississippi leaders revamped state standards and overhauled literacy instruction to meet the rigor of NAEP. These initiatives led to large improvements in Mississippi performance on NAEP: by 2019, Mississippi was at the national average for fourth-grade math and reading and the gap between eighth-grade performance and the national average decreased significantly.

North Carolina

In 2005, results from the NAEP reading assessments revealed that eighth grade students in North Carolina scored below the national average. In response, the state deployed more than 200 literacy coaches to middle schools around the state to help teachers reach students with reading difficulties before they made the transition to high school.

Oregon

To address the states growing economy and workforce needs, Oregon referenced grade 4 NAEP mathematics data to shape a STEM Education Plan in 2016. This plan was established to develop important science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills for students of all races, economic status, and regions.

NAEP Survey Questionnaires logo.

Survey Questionnaires & Your Student: What You Need to Know

NAEP survey questionnaires are voluntarily completed by students, teachers, and school administrators who participate in a NAEP assessment. These questionnaires collect contextual information about students, teachers, and schools. Specifically, student survey questionnaires ask about students' educational experiences and opportunities to learn both in and out of the classroom.

Responses to NAEP survey questionnaires help put student achievement results into context and allow meaningful comparison between student groups. Questionnaire results are never reported for individual students or schools; responses are confidential and cannot be linked to any student's identity or personal information.

Your child's responses help highlight what is needed to improve education across the country. NAEP survey questionnaires provide important information that allows in-depth analyses to better understand the context in which students learn. Your child's participation has the opportunity to help teachers, principals, policymakers, and researchers develop ways to improve education in our nation's classrooms.

In addition to assessing subject-area achievement, NAEP collects information that fulfills reporting requirements of federal legislation. This legislation requires that, whenever feasible, NAEP collects information and reports achievement results for special groups (e.g., information reported by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and English language learner status) to better determine how well education is meeting the needs of all students.

What Questions Are on the Test

The NAEP frameworks define content areas and levels of complexity for questions on NAEP. Using the dashboard below, explore sample questions from recent mathematics and reading 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.

What Do NAEP Results Tell Us About Education?

NAEP reports provide more than just results in school subjects and grades. NAEP results show us how student groups perform over time, which states and select urban districts are closing achievement gaps, academic trends over time, and how course taking and grades correlate with high school graduation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question about what NAEP means for your student? Check out the most frequently submitted questions.

Why is this the first time I am hearing about NAEP?
When will my child take the test?
Does NAEP replace the state tests that my child takes every year?
Why doesn't NAEP test in every grade?
How was my child selected?
Does my child have to take NAEP?
Will taking NAEP affect my child's grade?
Will I get to see the results of my child's test?
How long does the assessment take?
Will my child's teacher spend class time helping students get for NAEP?
Where can I see the test my child will take?
May my child with disabilities participate in NAEP if her IEP doesn't specifically address NAEP?
Will my child be able to take NAEP if English is not my child's first language?
May my child take NAEP if he or she was not selected?
Where can I get additional information?
What if I want to make suggestions about the assessment?

Last updated 25 October 2024 (MB)