Governing Board Seeks Comments on NAEP Reading Achievement Level Descriptions

WASHINGTON (January 27, 2010) — The National Assessment Governing Board is seeking public comments on the description of achievement levels that will be used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for reading in 2009 and beyond.

The Board is seeking voluntary feedback as it finalizes achievement levels descriptions stating what students should know and be able to do, to be used in reporting the results of NAEP reading assessments. The first NAEP reading assessment that will use these new descriptions will be released this spring.

Please complete the form to use for providing and returning comments. All the information you will need for this review will be in the form, including the draft descriptions of the three achievement levels — Basic, Proficient, and Advanced — for grades 4, 8, and 12 reading, the policy definitions of the three NAEP achievement levels, and the NAEP 2009 Reading Framework.

Comments are due to the Governing Board by February 10, 2010.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the only nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. It has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the Nation's Report Card, NAEP informs the public about what American students know and can do in various subject areas and compares achievement between states, large urban districts, and various student demographic groups.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee and set policy for NAEP.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project.