NAEP Scores Released

The Issue:

Earlier this week, the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) at the United States Department of Education (US ED) released scores for 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card.”  This testing is mandated by Congress, and measures the performance of 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students in various subjects. The test is intended to enable comparisons of student performance across states and school districts , as well as to provide an overall national picture of student performance. Because the assessment remains essentially the same from year to year, the test scores are also intended to provide insight into changes in the academic performance of students in states and districts over time.

The Process:

Various organizations and news outlets are reporting on the newly-released test scores and providing context for the communities they serve. The vast majority of students took the test using a tablet computer, while about one-quarter of the students tested used a pencil and paper. Louisiana Superintendent John White and researchers at Johns Hopkins University are raising concerns that NCES and US ED are not properly accounting for research showing that   students without previous experience taking digital tests are likely to score lower than their peers.

Learn More:

• Nation’s Report Card Holds Steady, But Gaps Persist (Politico | April 10)
• A decade of stagnation: Little progress on closely watched federal test, as big disparities persist (Chalkbeat | April 10)
• A ‘Lost Decade’ for Academic Progress? NAEP Scores Remain Flat Amid Signs of a Widening Gap Between Highest and Lowest Performers (The 74 Million | April 10)
  

Be a Part of the Process:

• Get Informed: Learn more about the NAEP results, search through the data, and conduct your own analyses and comparisons.
• Take Action: Talk with members of your state legislature about the test results and how and whether they implicate needed changes in state policy. The National Conference of State Legislatures has a tool for connecting with your state lawmakers. You can also find contact information for individual state legislators on your state legislature’s website.