Understanding NAEP: A Reader
"In short, different tests or standards can produce different grade levels." David Reinking and Peter Smagorinsky
One of the best ways to understand NAEP testing is in the context of education reform.
NAEP is a periodic national test that is administered to a random sampling of students (not all students) to create a stable metric against which state assessments can be compared; for example:
This data tool, Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales, 2007–22, is an excellent resource for tracking the variation among states as well as the changes overt the years within states in terms of how “proficiency” is measured.
Note that in 2022, TX reading “proficiency” is fifth lowest among states; however, in 2019, TX “proficiency was much higher:
Therefore, state “proficiency” (often reflecting “grade level”) can and does change (at the discretion of elected officials) while NAEP “proficient” is above grade level, with “basic” correlating more closely with “grade level” as determined by the states.
Despite a wealth of information on the NAEP website and numerous explanations (see below), NAEP is consistently misunderstood and misrepresented by the media, politicians, and education reformers.
Here, then, a reader:
Popular Lies About Test Scores Corrupt Debates About the Progress of Our Students and Their Schools
Major Changes Coming to the NAEP Reading Assessment, Tom Loveless
Advances and Missed Opportunities in the Development of the 2026 NAEP Reading Framework, Forzani, et al. (2022)
Loveless, T. (2016, June 13). The NAEP proficiency myth. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2016/06/13/the-naep-proficiency-myth/
Loveless, T. (2023, June 11). Literacy and NAEP proficient (Web log). https://tomloveless.com/posts/literacy-and-naep-proficient/
Rosenberg, B. (2004, May). What’s proficient? The No Child Left Behind Act and the many meanings of proficiency. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497886.pdf
Scale scores and NAEP achievement levels. (2021). National Center for Educational Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/guides/scores_achv.aspx#achievement
White Paper to Provide Context for NAEP Achievement Levels by Reviewing State and International Practices, Behuniak and Way (Feb 2022)
A History of NAEP Achievement Levels: Issues, Implementation, and Impact 1989–2009, Mary Lyn Bourque (Mar 2009)
Thomas, P.L. (2025, July 28). There is no literacy crisis in the U.S. Here’s what’s really happening. The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/474j758
How to Manufacture Crisis with Line Charts: NAEP Reading Edition
Grade 8 NAEP: A More Valid Reading Story (Although Still Incomplete)
Education Media Misunderstands and Misinforms: Math and NAEP Edition
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