About the NAEP State Mapping Analyses

The state mapping studies performed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) offer several important contributions to national education analyses. NCES has periodically published reports using results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to compare the proficiency standards that states set for their students on state assessments. Since standards vary across states, the results of the various state assessments cannot be used to directly compare students’ progress. However, by placing a state standard onto the NAEP scale, a common metric for all states, a NAEP equivalent score of that standard is produced, which can be compared across states.

The mapping analyses also inform whether the rigor of a state’s standards, as represented by the NAEP equivalent scores of the state’s standard, changed over time. Significant differences in NAEP equivalent scores might reflect changes in state assessments and standards or changes in policies or practices that occurred between the years.

The mapping study has contributed to the discussion on achievement standards for the nation’s students since 2003. The study is intended to help readers understand the myriad state assessment results that are otherwise difficult to compare and to serve a policy need for reliable information that compares state standards. The study is not an evaluation of the various state assessments or of the quality of the states’ achievement standards, and the findings should not be interpreted as evidence of deficiencies in state assessments or in NAEP.

It should be noted that state assessments and NAEP may vary in format and administration because they have different goals and are developed for different purposes. The mapping of the state standards for proficient performance does not imply that the NAEP achievement levels are more valid than the state standards or that states should emulate NAEP standards. A wide range of policy considerations are involved in setting achievement standards, and what is appropriate for NAEP may not be the best fit for a given state. Please see the 2013 state mapping report (NCES 2015-046 [PDF, 38 pages]) for a more complete discussion of the study’s limitations. NAEP’s achievement levels are used in this study to aid in the interpretation of NAEP equivalent scores.