NAEP Mapping Proficiency Across States
NAEP serves a unique role in the assessment of our students. States determine their own curriculum, standards, and cut scores. Under the 2001 and 2015 reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, states are required to define and report their standards for grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics. However, since each state independently develops or chooses assessments to measure its students' knowledge and skills and sets standards for determining its students' performance, it is not possible to compare state standards unless they are placed or mapped on a common scale. Because all states participate in NAEP for these grades and subjects, per a federal law, NAEP can be used as the common metric to compare the relative stringency of states' proficiency standards. While there is not a direct correlation, it does offer a way to compare standards and expectations across states. This study does not compare actual achievement of students between states, but better stated it is a comparison of where a state set their expectations of students to be labeled as proficient. It is for this purpose that the American Education Research Association (AERA), in conjunction with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), compiles the Mapping State Proficiency Reports.
What Does NAEP Proficient Mean?
Achievement levels differ across grades and subjects assessed by NAEP. In general, the NAEP Proficient achievement level demonstrates solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter. Under NAEP's legislation, NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a "trial basis" and interpreted with caution until the Commissioner of NCES determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public. Visit the NCES website to view a detailed description of NAEP achievement levels by grade and subject, as well as sample questions that students are to correctly answer at each achievement level.
