Colorado National Assessment of Educational Progress

Relevant Websites

• The Nations Report Card
• NAEP Data Explorer
• NAEP Sample Questions

Contact

Collin Bonner
NAEP State Coordinator
Assessment Division
(303) 895-5750
Bonner_C@cde.state.co.us 

About The National Assessment of Educational Progress

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a.k.a. “the Nation’s Report Card,” is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in different subject areas. Its two major goals are to measure student achievement and to report change in performance over time. NAEP provides results for the nation as a whole and for the states separately.

Performance is reported by groups of students, e.g. by total, by gender, by racial and ethnic groups, and by participation in special programs such as those servicing students with special needs and limited English proficiency. Each of these assessments/studies is based on a representative sample of the student population of the state and the nation and none are designed to produce individual district, school or student data.

Beginning in 2003, participation in NAEP has been linked to Title I funding by the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" within Colorado. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), first passed in 1965. The ESEA Reauthorization of 2001 (No Child Left Behind) included language pertaining to participation in NAEP mathematics and reading at grades 4 and 8 for states and local districts that receive Title I funds.  ESSA did not make any changes to the law regarding the authorization of or participation in NAEP.  NAEP selects a sample of schools to participate as described here. Colorado and its schools selected for NAEP must participate in 4th and 8th grade assessments in reading and mathematics to receive state and district Title I funding.

NAEP has been transitioning to digital assessments for several years, initially using devices like Surface Pros and Chromebooks. The program is now shifting to a model where students take assessments on school-provided devices and internet access. This approach aims to create a more authentic testing experience by using the same laptops or tablets students already use for learning. It's a key step toward assessing students in a setting that reflects their day-to-day classroom environment.