Reading

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment in reading comprehension is given every two years to students at grades 4 and 8, and approximately every four years at grade 12. The assessment measures reading comprehension by asking students to read selected grade-appropriate materials and answer questions based on what they have read. The results present a broad view of students’ reading knowledge, skills, and performance over time. The most recent reading assessment was given in 2022 to approximately 108,200 grade 4 students and 111,300 grade 8 students.

How to Interpret Reading ResultsFind out how to interpret the results of the reading assessment, including the potential effects of exclusion on assessment results.Learn More

Explore the Nation's Report Card

2022 reading scores lower than in 2019 at grades 4 and 8, comparable to initial NAEP scores in 1992.Read More

Grade 4 reading scores decreased for lower-, middle-, and higher- performing students except for those performing at the 90th percentile.Read More

Grade 8 reading scores were unchanged in large cities and 21 of 26 TUDA districts.Read More

Highlights National Achievement State Achievement District Achievement Sample Questions Survey Questionnaires Findings

Assessment Content

The reading framework specifies that the assessment use three types of literary texts and three broad categories of informational texts that vary by grade. The framework also outlines what reading knowledge and skills students should have to reach NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced achievement. The reading framework was updated in 2009 and replaced the framework used for the 1992-2007 reading assessments. The reading assessment is administered as a digitally based assessment. Survey questionnaires, administered to students, teachers, and school administrators who participate in a reading assessment, are used to collect and report contextual information about students’ K-12 education and learning experience in and out of the classroom.

Reading Assessment Framework Reading Content Areas Survey Questionnaires Reading Sample Questions

Icons representing each NAEP assessment subject in arts, civics, economics, geography, reading, mathematics, technology and engineering literacy, science, U.S. history, and writing.

How is Your State or District Performing?

State PerformanceSee snapshots of individual state performance in 2022 reading, and use the State Profiles tool to compare results of states/jurisdictions.

State Snapshots State Profiles Tool

District PerformanceSee snapshots of select district performance in 2022 reading, and use the District Profiles tool to compare results of districts/jurisdictions.

District Snapshots District Profiles Tool

How Results Are Reported

Academic achievement in reading is presented in two ways on The Nation's Report Card: scale scores and NAEP achievement levels.

Scale scores represent how students performed on the reading assessment. Scores are aggregated and reported for diverse student groups for the nation, states, and districts.
NAEP achievement levels are performance standards that describe what students should know and be able to do.

Results are reported as percentages of students performing at or above three NAEP achievement levels (NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced). Students performing at or above the NAEP Proficient level on NAEP assessments demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments).

Item maps illustrate how specific reading knowledge and skills correspond to different NAEP achievement levels. Item maps answer the question, "What does it mean for students to be at NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, or NAEP Advanced in terms of what they know and can do?"