Understanding NAEP: Inside the Nation’s Education Report Card
A new guide attempts to unravel the complexities of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the federally sponsored testing program that has gauged student achievement in core subjects for nearly 40 years.
Education Sector, the Washington-based think tank that produced the report, outlines the history and purpose of the assessment program, as well as the appropriate uses and interpretations of NAEP’s test data.
The 17-page online guide says it describes “how the assessment is designed, how its scores are calculated and what they mean, and what controversies surround the reporting and use of NAEP data. It seeks to set straight what conclusions can and cannot be legitimately drawn from the NAEP assessment and examines what challenges lay ahead for the ‘nation’s report card’ in an era of increased accountability.”
