NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, is norm-referenced and provides measures of the performance of students in grades 4 and 8, by state, on national standardized tests in mathematics, reading, writing, and science. NAEP is administered to a statewide sample of students. Results for other grades and subjects are available only for the nation and at the state level only. NAEP standards are the same for each state, which provide the only data to compare student performance across states.

Arizona students compare less favorably to the national average on the NAEP test than for TerraNova. Although NAEP is widely considered a reliable measure, it is administered to a sample of students and thus is subject to some sampling error. In addition, in Arizona students must take the test in English due to a voter-passed initiative, whereas in a number of other states English language learners, whose native language is Spanish, may take the test in Spanish.