WHAT IS NAEP?
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the "Nation's Report Card", is the only nationally representative assessment of what America's elementary and secondary students know and can do in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, geography, and the arts. It is authorized by the U.S. Congress, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

NAEP has been used as a yardstick for gauging educational progress by state educators, legislators, policy makers, and parents. NAEP provides information about trends in state and national student achievement over time and allows educational achievement to be compared across states. It has produced more than 600 reports in its 33-year history.

For a more detailed overview of state and national NAEP, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about

WHO PARTICIPATES IN NAEP?
Participants are selected through a scientific sampling method (multistage stratified random sampling). First, a representative sample of Indiana public and nonpublic schools are selected to participate in the state and national assessments. Secondly, individual students from these schools are randomly selected to be tested. For the state assessment, NAEP selects about 3,000 students for each grade and subject, or about 100 schools per state and about 30 students per school. About 10% of the nation's fourth- and eighth-graders will participate in NAEP assessments biennially. Students with disabilities and limited-English-proficiency are included in the NAEP samples. For more detailed information about sampling procedures, go to:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/statewho.asp

AND

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/samplesFAQ.asp

To view a chart comparing testing accommodations offered by NAEP with those offered by the state of Indiana on ISTEP+, click here.

Participation by individual students in NAEP is voluntary, however full participation of all sampled schools and students ensures that the most accurate and representative picture of performance is obtained. Participating students are doing their part to help improve education in their country, their state, and their own schools. For more information about participation in NAEP, go to:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/natimportant.asp

ARE SCHOOLS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN NAEP?
Each state that applies for Title 1 funds must include in their annual applications an assurance that it will comply with all requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This includes participation in NAEP's state and national assessments and its special studies. Because Indiana receives federal funding for educationally disadvantaged students, federal law requires that NAEP be administered in Indiana schools at grades 4 and 8 every two years:

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2002-4/120202a.html

Sec. 200.11 Participation in NAEP.

(a) State participation. Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, each State that receives funds under subpart A of this part must participate in biennial State academic assessments of fourth and eighth grade reading and mathematics under the State National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), if the Department pays the costs of administering those assessments.
(b) Local participation. In accordance with section 1112(b)(1)(F) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), and notwithstanding section 411(d)(1) of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994, an LEA that receives funds under subpart A of this part must participate, if selected, in the State-NAEP assessments referred to in paragraph (a) of this section.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2); 6312(b)(1)(F), 9010(d)(1))

State law also requires that sampled schools participate:

http://www.in.gov/legislative/iac/t05110/a00050.pdf

Rule 4. National and International Assessments

511 IAC 5-4-1 National assessment of educational progress
Authority: IC 20-10.1-16-15
Affected: IC 20-10.1-16

Sec. 1. Public schools and accredited nonpublic schools shall participate, if selected, in national assessment of educational progress testing. (Indiana State Board of Education; 511 IAC 5-4-1; filed Jun 21, 2001, 3:09 p.m.: 24 IR 3650)

To view the website with important information for participating schools, go to: www.mynaep.com and use your assigned login and password.

HOW IS NAEP LIKE ISTEP+?
NAEP assessments take place in the selected schools' classrooms and are conducted by trained NAEP staff. NAEP administration takes about 90 minutes. Unlike ISTEP+, students take only a small part of the whole test, and then the parts are combined to construct a portrait of performance for the entire state or nation. While students are expected to do their best, schools typically do not require them to spend time preparing for NAEP. This is because NAEP, unlike ISTEP+, does not report scores for individual students or schools. NAEP assessments are designed to provide accurate information on the performance of large student populations, not to assess the performance of individual students or schools. Therefore, in accordance with federal law, all personally identifiable information regarding NAEP participation is confidential; no records are kept that connect students' names with their responses.

To view or download a document that compares ISTEP+ and NAEP, go to: http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/naepcomparison.html

During the assessment, students also are asked to complete a short background questionnaire. Responses to these questions are used to perform analyses of student performance by gender, ethnicity, and other student characteristics. Teachers and principals also complete questionnaires that are used to analyze data about teacher, school, and community characteristics.

To download a copy of the Background Questionnaire, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/bgquest.asp

Like ISTEP+, NAEP performance is reported both as a scale score (1-300 or 1-500) and as an achievement level (basic, proficient, or advanced).

To learn more about scale scores go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about
To learn more about achievement levels, go to: http://www.nagb.org and select "About NAEP"

WHAT IS ASSESSED ON NAEP?
The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), an independent, bipartisan advisory board that includes governors, legislators, educators, and business representatives, selects the academic subject areas to be assessed and develops the content standards for those subjects. Content experts from Indiana Department of Education have the opportunity to review all test questions prior to inclusion in the assessment.

To view information about NAEP policies, test development, history, and current legislation about the national assessement, go to: http://www.nagb.org

To view the content standards (Frameworks) for the subjects assessed by NAEP, go to:
http://www.nagb.org and select "About NAEP" below the main bullets.

To download the Reading Frameworks, go to: http://www.nagb.org/pubs/read92-2000.pdf
To download the Mathematics Frameworks, go to: http://www.nagb.org/pubs/math96-2000.pdf

WHERE CAN I FIND SAMPLE QUESTIONS?
NAEP assessments include both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. To view Demonstration Booklets containing sample questions and the entire background questionnaire for grades 4, 8, and 12, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/booklets.asp

To view released assessment questions, scoring guides, sample responses, and performance data for each question, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrls and select Search Options, select a subject and grade, Continue, and then select questions of interest.

The NAEP Question Tool will allow you to create testlets that include all of the items you select. This database provides answer keys for multiple choice items, scoring guides for constructed response items, sample student responses, student performance results, and content classification (subscale reference) for all items.

HOW DOES INDIANA'S PERFORMANCE ON NAEP COMPARE TO OTHER STATES' PERFORMANCES?
To view a summary of Indiana's performance history on NAEP, including both scale scores and achievement levels, go to the State Profile page: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states and select Indiana.

To view more detailed information about the responses of Indiana students to NAEP items, reported both as scale scores and achievement levels by subgroup, instructional method, and student, school, teacher, or community factors, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata and select Search Options, Indiana, a subject, grade, and category, Continue, then select topics of interest.

The NAEP Data Tool allows you to access information about performance of all states/territories and of major reporting groups for all years and in all subjects tested. Additional data are accessible about instructional content and practices, student/school/teacher/community factors, and factors beyond school.

WHEN IS NAEP ADMINISTERED?
Go to: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/assessmentsched.asp

OR

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/faq.asp

OTHER USEFUL WEB SITES:

Information for Parents: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents

Information for Selected Schools: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/schools.asp

Information about interpreting NAEP results: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/interpretresults.asp

Information about international comparisons: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/international

WHO MAY I CONTACT WITH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT NAEP?
Your NAEP State Coordinator's name is Jennifer Zych. Her address at the Indiana Department of Education is Rm. 229 State House, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Her telephone number is (317) 234-5600 and her email address is jzych@doe.in.gov.