Volume 17, Issue 1-8
Measure Up
FALL 2012
Assessment news for middle school teachers
The Future of NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
first administered in 1969, is the largest continuing and
nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s
students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics,
reading, science, and writing. Teachers, principals, parents,
policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess
progress and develop ways to improve education in the
United States.
encouraged to “think big” about the role NAEP should play
in the future—ten years ahead and beyond.
To continue moving the NAEP program forward, a summit
of diverse experts in assessment, measurement, cognition,
and technology was convened in August 2011. These
experts discussed and debated ideas for the future of NAEP.
A second summit of state and local stakeholders was held in
January 2012. Participants of both meetings were
• Measure old constructs in new ways;
A panel of participants from the two summits was asked
to draft a white paper summarizing the discussions of the
two groups. The panel made a variety of recommendations,
including the active monitoring of technology trends.
It was suggested that NAEP should explore using new
technologies to do the following:
• Assess new constructs such as critical thinking, problem
solving, and collaboration;
• Allow fuller inclusion of students with special needs; and
• Improve student engagement.
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FALL 2012
continued from cover
Their paper, “NAEP: Looking Ahead—Leading
Assessment into the Future,” can be found at the
link below. The staff at the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) will be reading this very
thoughtful report and discussing the implications
as NAEP moves forward. http://nces.ed.gov/
nationsreportcard/about/future_of_naep.asp
NAEP 2011 Science
Results Released
A nationally representative sample of 122,000 eighthgraders participated in the 2011 National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment,
which is designed to measure students’ knowledge
and abilities in the areas of physical science, life
science, and Earth and space sciences.
Racial/ethnic gaps narrow: Score gaps between White
The average eighth-grade science score increased
from 150 in 2009 to 152 in 2011. Scores were higher
in 2011 than in 2009 for students at the 10th, 25th,
50th, and 75th percentiles. There was no significant
change from 2009 in the score for students at the
90th percentile.
and Black students and between White and Hispanic
students narrowed from 2009 to 2011. In comparison
to 2009, average science scores in 2011 were 1 point
higher for White students, 3 points higher for Black
students, and 5 points higher for Hispanic students.
There were no significant changes from 2009 to 2011
in the scores for Asian/Pacific Islander or American
Indian/Alaska Native students.
Percentile scores in eighth-grade NAEP science:
2009 and 2011
No significant change in gender gap: Average scores
Scale score
300
Percentile
200
90th
190
180
75th
170
160
50th
150
140
25th
130
120
110
10th
100
0
‘09
‘11
Year
* Significantly different (p<.05) from 2011.
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for both male and female students were higher in 2011
than in 2009. Male students scored 5 points higher on
average than female students in 2011, which was not
significantly different from the 4-point gap in 2009.
Public school students score higher than in 2009 but
private – public gap persists: The average science score for
public school students was higher in 2011 than in 2009,
while there was no significant change in the score for
private school students. Private school students scored
12 points higher on average than public school students
in 2011, which was not significantly different from the
15-point score gap in 2009. For more results, visit the
Nation’s Report Card at http://nces.ed.gov/
nationsreportcard.
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FALL 2012
Using NAEP questions
in your classroom
With the publication of NAEP results, select items from
each assessment are released. You can access the items,
answer keys and scoring guides, sample student
responses, and national performance results at all three
grades by using the NAEP Questions Tool (NQT) at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/landing.aspx.
The Questions Tool includes both multiple-choice and
constructed-response items for all NAEP subjects and
grades, which you can use to create unique activities
for your class. There are more than 3,000 questions
covering all NAEP subjects. Also, your students may
enjoy using Test Yourself to test their knowledge on
a small set of questions on any subject, and to compare
their performance with that of the nation’s students.
A sample science item from a previous NAEP
assessment follows.
Sample Grade 8 Science Item
Their results are summarized in the table below.
DATA TABLE
Larva
Pupa
Number
of Trials
Average
Depth
Reached
(centimeters)
Average
Length
of Time
Underwater
(seconds)
Average
Depth
Reached
(centimeters)
Average
Length
of Time
Underwater
(seconds)
5
22
90
38
120
Which statement(s) is (are) supported by these data?
You may fill in more than one oval.
A. The larva dives deeper than the pupa.
B. The larva stays underwater longer than the pupa.
C. The length of the larva affects the depth of its dive.
D. The pupa dives deeper than the larva.
E. The pupa stays underwater longer than the larva.
F. The shape of the pupa helps it dive deeper than the larva.
Explain why you selected the statement(s) you did, using
the data in the table.
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Some students were studying the life cycle of mosquitoes.
They learned that mosquito larvae and pupae spend part
of their time at the surface of water.
______________________________________________
The students wanted to find out how a larva and pupa
behaved when the jars they were in were disturbed. They put
one larva and one pupa in identical tall jars of water at 20°C
as shown below.
NAEP national performance results in Science
at grade 8: 2011
ANSWER: D and E
Score
50%
Unsatisfac/Incorrect
32%
Partial
Essential 2%
Complete
15%
Omitted 1%
Off task #
The students tapped on the jars when the larva and pupa
were at the surface of the water. The larva and pupa dove
down into the jars, and then slowly came to the surface.
The students measured the depth each larva and pupa
reached and the amount of time each stayed underwater.
The students repeated this step five times and calculated
the average of each of their measurements.
0
100
Percentage of Students
# Rounds to zero.
NOTE: These results are for public and nonpublic school students. Percentages may
not add to 100 due to rounding. Off task applies to responses that do not address the
question presented, are illegible, or cannot otherwise be scored.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National
Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),
2011 Science Assessment.
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FALL 2012
What Is The Nation’s Report Card?
The Nation’s Report Card informs the public about the
academic achievement of elementary and secondary
students in the United States. Report cards
communicate the findings of NAEP, the largest
continuing and nationally representative measure
of achievement in various subjects over time.
Since 1969, NAEP assessments have been conducted
periodically in reading, mathematics, science, writing,
U.S. history, civics, geography, and other subjects.
By collecting and reporting information on student
performance at the national, state, and local levels,
NAEP is an integral part of our nation’s evaluation
of the condition and progress of education.
Only information related to academic achievement
and relevant variables is collected. The privacy of
individual students and their families is protected,
and the
identities of
participating
schools are
not released.
Connect with NAEP!
Online Resources
Learn more about
Sample Questions Booklets
• the latest news regarding upcoming assessments
and releases;
• tips for using online NAEP tools;
• NAEP questions to test your knowledge compared
to that of the nation’s students; and
• NAEP publications.
For more information about NAEP, go to
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
Examine the types of questions students will
be answering.
http://nationsreportcard.gov
Content Area Frameworks
Frameworks guide the development of the NAEP
assessment and determine the content to be assessed.
http://nationsreportcard.gov
Information for Educators
Create your own NAEP test and see what students
know and can do.
http://nationsreportcard.gov/educators.asp
Information for Students
Allow students to test themselves using NAEP
questions.
http://nationsreportcard.gov/students.asp
Data Tools
This publication was prepared for the National Assessment of Educational
Progress by Westat under contract (ED-07-CO-0083) to the National Center
for Education Statistics, U.S. Depart­ment of Education.
Explore NAEP results with online data tools.
http://nationsreportcard.gov/data_tools.asp
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