State Assessments

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports results at the state level, most often in grades 4 and 8, in four subjects—mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Because NCES administers the same assessment in every state, NAEP provides a common measure for student achievement in public schools across the country.

With state-level NAEP results, states can monitor changes in their students’ performance over time and compare the knowledge and skills of their students with students in other states and across the nation. States can also examine and compare information about their students’ learning experiences in and out of the classroom, which is collected via NAEP survey questionnaires.

State-level NAEP assessments are not designed to provide individual scores for the students, schools, or districts assessed. Results are reported for populations of students (e.g., fourth-graders) and student groups of those populations (e.g., male students, Hispanic students, etc.).