Facts for Principals

NAEP 2010

Facts for Principals
“NAEP is a necessary tool and way for my colleagues
and me to make sure that the expectations that we
have for teaching, learning, and ultimately student
achievement, are where they belong.”
- Brian Dassler, Principal Designate, New Orleans Public Schools,
New Orleans, LA

NAEP is an integral
part of American
education.
T he President, Congress, and
policymakers use NAEP to
develop ways to improve
education.
 AEP provides a common
N
yardstick for measuring the
progress of students’ education
across the country.
 AEP data shows where
N
groups of students have
progressed or need
improvement in certain
concepts or subject areas.
 AEP data can be used to
N
compare student groups within
your state, the nation, and
other states.
T eachers can use sample NAEP
questions and scoring guides
in their classrooms.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
is the only nationally representative assessment of what
American students know and can do in core subjects such
as civics, mathematics, reading, science, U.S. history, and
writing. The results of NAEP are published as The Nation’s
Report Card, and are available for the nation, states, and
in some cases, urban districts.
As principals, you are essential partners in this effort. You make
an important contribution by working closely with your teachers
and staff and explaining why the assessment is important. You can
also help by selecting and empowering a NAEP School Coordinator,
by meeting with students who will participate in the assessment, and
by encouraging your students to participate and do their best. When
students take part in NAEP and try their best, we get the most
accurate data depicting what American students know and can do.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard

It’s important to know that…
NAEP was developed in 1969 to measure student
achievement nationally. NAEP assesses 4th, 8th, and
12th grade students in mathematics and reading every
two years, and other subjects in alternating years.
NAEP also conducts a Long-Term Trend assessment
every four years to measure students’ progress in
mathematics and reading over a period of time, as well
as special studies during various assessment cycles.
In 2010, assessments will be administered in 4th,
8th, and 12th grades. Results will be released for:
U.S. History
Civics
Geography
Pilot assessments will also be administered in:
Mathematics
Writing (includes computer-based for grades 8 and 12)
NAEP is considered the gold standard of
assessments. NAEP is an important assessment
because of its impeccable technical quality. The
assessment’s frameworks are developed with input from
state education officials, education experts, teachers,
and content specialists from around the country.
NAEP reports on results for groups of students,
rather than for individual students or schools.
NAEP uses a carefully designed sampling process to
ensure that the schools and students selected are
representative of those across the United States. To
ensure that the sample represents all students in the

nation’s schools, NAEP allows a broad array of
accommodations for students with disabilities (SD)
and English language learners (ELL) during the
assessment.
NAEP is designed to cause minimal disruption
of instruction. It will take approximately 90 to 120
minutes for students to complete NAEP. Students
are asked questions on subjects they encounter every
day and to provide contextual information, such as
the amount of reading they do and what types of
classes they take. Teachers do not need to prepare
their students to take NAEP. Contractors with the
United States Department of Education administer
the assessment and work with your NAEP School
Coordinator to organize assessment activities.
NAEP items can be used as a helpful educational
resource. Teachers can use actual NAEP items
that have been released to see how their students’
performance compares to the national results.
Released NAEP items come with a scoring guide,
sample student responses, and performance data by
jurisdiction. Questions can be found at http://nces.
ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls/.
At http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard, school
staff can also:
View national and state results
Compare results for various student groups
Access specific information for teachers, students,
and parents

“ The NAEP team that was assigned to our school
did a wonderful, seamless job in preparing us and
administering the exam. Everything was well explained
before, during, and after testing took place.”
-Alejandra Salima Jacquinet, Assistant Principal, Mater Academy
(charter school), Hialeah, FL

This publication was prepared for the National Assessment of Educational Progress by Hager Sharp under contract ED-07-DO-0338 to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.