Our Issue: 12th Grade Academic Preparedness

Welcome to our website. Our goal is to increase public awareness of students' academic preparedness for higher education and job training, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Towards this goal, the Commission will organize the findings of research studies about 12^th grade students' academic performance on NAEP - also known as The Nation's Report Card - and communicate the results to parents, educators, employers and policymakers.

Currently, the Commission is hosting a series of symposia across the country discussing the program of research being conducted to make NAEP an indicator of 12th grade academic preparedness. The audience for the symposia are leaders in K-12 and higher education, business, civil rights, legislative policy, and members of the public.

This important research is intended to help NAEP develop valid statements for reporting to the public about 12^th grade students' preparedness. As the only nationally representative measure of 12^th grade student achievement, NAEP is uniquely positioned to serve in this role. Ultimately, the research and the NAEP results will be available for use by educators and policymakers who want to use them as resources for improving the academic preparedness of our nation's high school graduates.

We invite you to explore the website to learn more about NAEP and the 12^th grade academic preparedness research.

Hot Topics

• Initial Research Unveiled The Governing Board released the first findings of its 12^th grade preparedness research.
• We're Missing the Boat An editorial on the need to prepare our high school graduates for a knowledge-based economy. (PDF)
• The Origins of the Preparedness Initiative (2010) A description of preparedness research projects. (PDF)