What are Proficiency Scores?
Proficiency scores measure a student's mastery of skills and understanding in a topic area. This website reports proficiency scores for reading and mathematics as determined on tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
The National Assessment of Educational Progress
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was created in 1969 to assess student performance relative to current education norms and to produce reliable measurements of student performance trends over time. With its inception, the subjects of mathematics, science, reading, writing, U.S. history, geography, civics, and economics were identified as primary. Two distinct studies are conducted: a main assessment and a long-term trend assessment. These two measures are unique and do not allow for direct comparisons. States also administer state-specific NAEP data. State NAEP assessments are similar to main assessment of national performance, and direct comparisons are often made between state and national aggregate statistics. Some state-level participation is mandatory if the state receives federal education funding, while other assessments are voluntary.
The NAEP measures subject-matter achievement, teacher variables, and the school environment. Data are unavailable for individual students or schools, as the results are based on representative samples of student populations. We report NAEP data by grade level (4th, 8th, and 12th grade) and by age (9, 13, and 17 years) because different samples are used for the main NAEP and long-term NAEP.
Main NAEP
The NAEP is governed by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which develops assessment standard frameworks for the tests, based on consensus expertise in various subject areas. The main NAEP tests students on reading, math, science, and writing and is administered to a representative sample of students at the 4th, 8th, and 12th-grade levels.
Long-term NAEP
The long-term NAEP is administered to representative samples of students at ages 9, 13 and 17 years to track progress using standardized measures for knowledge and skills. Longitudinal data suitable for temporal comparisons have been collected since the early 1970s.
Schedule of Assessments
National NAEP testing is conducted in different years for different subjects. For reading and mathematics, national assessments are performed every two years at the 4th and 8th grade levels and every four years at the 12th grade level. This scheduling creates overlap for some years, when all three grades are evaluated together. At other times, 12th grade data are two years older than 4th and 8th grade scores. For example, this website reports 4th and 8th grade data from 2009 and 12th grade data from 2005. Additionally, the schedule for state assessments in reading, mathematics, science and writing requires different combinations of subjects every two years.
The NAGB restructured the assessment schedule to better fit the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The new schedule, approved in 2009, requires every state to assess reading and mathematics in 4th and 8th graders every other year and a national assessment of 12th graders at least every four years. Long-term reading and mathematics assessments are administered at ages 9, 13, and 17 every four years. Additional subjects may also be assessed by NAEP at the state and national level where funds are available.
What Do The Scores Mean?
NAEP assessment scores are presented both as averages and as percentages of students whose scores fall above or below benchmark achievement levels.
Mathematics proficiency is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 500 for 4th and 8th graders and 0 to 300 for 12th graders. Composite scale scores are calculated from the individual scales of: (1) number properties and operations, (2) measurement, (3) geometry, (4) data analysis and probability, and (5) algebra.
Reading proficiency is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 500. Composite scores are based on performances of increasing difficulty as students move up in grade level.
NAEP proficiency scores are averages for representative student populations. Margins of error must be taken into consideration when interpreting differences between groups and year-to-year changes. For example, an "increase" in reading scores from 303 in one year to 305 in another may not be statistically significant and may represent chance variation. The standard errors for average scores and percentages are available on the NAEP Data Explorer website.
What is "Below Basic" Proficiency?
NAEP achievement levels, which are now being used on only a trial basis, standardize student performance by creating benchmark norms for basic, proficient, and advanced levels:
- Basic: This level denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade assessed.
- Proficient: This level represents solid academic performance for each grade assessed. 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.
- Advanced: This level signifies superior performance at each grade assessed.
Limitations of the NAEP
Comparability
Frequent changes in curriculum and updated assessments create a limited capability of the NAEP to track progress over time. Assessment questions or areas of focus may change regularly in the main NAEP to account for the changing frameworks and standards set by the NAGB. Inconsistent measures greatly restrict the longitudinal capabilities of the main NAEP data to evaluate trends. The existence of the long-term NAEP is helpful, but its results cannot be directly compared because they derive from different assessments and population samples. The shifting benchmarks and incompatibility with long-term data further complicate the validity of measuring educational progress over time.
Sample limitations
Prior to 1996, students with “special needs” designation were excluded from progress assessments. Accommodations to enable these students to take the assessments were initiated inconsistently until 2000. Since 2002, accommodations for special needs students has been more systematic. Additionally, the NAEP online data analysis tool (NAEP Data Explorer) provides margins of error, but does not indicate when results are unreliable due to inadequate sample size.
Resources
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), Chronology of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Assessments from 1969 to 2007
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Interpreting NAEP Mathematics Results
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Interpreting NAEP Reading Results
National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), Schedule for the State and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) from 2008 to 2017
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Reading and Mathematics Score Trends
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Note 4: National Assessment of Educational Progress
Snyder, T.D., Dillow, S.A., and Hoffman, C.M. (2009). Digest of Education Statistics 2008 (NCES 2009-020). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.