For more than 50 years, information on what American students know and can do has been generated by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). It is the only ongoing effort to obtain comprehensive and dependable achievement data on a national basis in a uniform and scientific manner. Commonly known as “The Nation's Report Card", NAEP is a congressionally mandated project of the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
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- Reading and mathematics assessments with state results are given every two years. One other subject is usually assessed during the state years also. The other subjects have included science and writing. The alternate years have national results only.
- Grades 4, 8 and 12 are assessed however results are only calculated in Georgia for grades 4 and 8. Scores for districts, schools, and individual students are not calculated or reported.
- Long term trend assessments are given every four years to students aged 9, 13 and 17. This assessment tracks changes in national achievement over time.
Legislation
- The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires states that receive Title I funding to participate in the biennial NAEP assessment in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8.
- The State School Superintendent and the State Board of Education support participation in the NAEP program in State Board Rule 160-3-1.07.
- The Georgia Legislature supports participation in State Law O.C.G.A. Section 20-2-281.
Use of Data
The NAEP assessment results are most useful when they are considered in light of other knowledge about the education system, such as trends in educational reform, changes in school-age population, and societal demands and expectations. This information can be found in the NAEP Data Explorer.
