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NAEP Participation

Why Your Participation Matters

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. 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 participating large urban districts, other states, and the nation.

NAEP 2026: What You Need to Know

student with NAEP administrator.

The NAEP 2026 assessment program will include assessments in mathematics and reading for grades 4 and 8. Both are aligned to the newest NAEP frameworks, which are developed by the independent, nonpartisan National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) and define the subject-specific skills students need to be successful both in and out of the classroom. NAEP 2026 will also include pilot assessments in mathematics and reading in grades 4, 8, and 12. These pilot assessments will provide important information as NAEP continues its transition to the updated mathematics and reading frameworks. Finally, NCES will administer national-level assessments of civics and U.S. history at grade 8.

NCES will administer these assessments between January 26 and March 20, 2026.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore frequently asked questions about participating in NAEP, or download a PDFClick to open pdf. for viewing and printing.

How is NAEP different from other tests?
How are students and schools selected?
Is participation voluntary?
How does NAEP include students with disabilities and English learners?
What are students and schools asked to do before and during the assessment?
What kinds of questions will be asked?
Where do I find the results?
Are individual student results reported?
How is my state or district performing?
What if I have more questions?

Schedule of Assessments

See a calendar of upcoming NAEP assessments and activities.

Learn More

Last updated 17 April 2025 (MB)