IPSPR: Electronic Publications

Definition: The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is a standardized test administered to a sample of students at participating schools. The average scores presented here represent a measure of performance in reading comprehension for students in the fourth grade. NAEP is administered to samples of students in participating schools in grades 4, 8, and 12. The scale used in scoring this assessment ranges from 0-500

Significance: NAEP scores represent a standard measure by which to assess student performance and allowing for comparisons across states and over time.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average Scores, National Assessment of Educational Progress in Reading, Grade 4

Data reflects South Carolina (SC) average, United States (US) average, and Southeast (SE) average. The southeast region consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Selected State Rankings, NAEP Scores, Reading, Grade 4, 2007 (“1” represents state with highest score. Scores are ranked from highest to lowest using a standard competition ranking method that accounts for ties occurring when two or more states have the same average score.)

Definition: The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is a standardized test administered to a sample of students at participating schools. The average scores presented here represent a measure of performance in reading comprehension for students in the eighth grade. The scale used in scoring this assessment ranges from 0-500.

Significance: NAEP scores represent a standard measure by which to assess student performance and allowing for comparisons across states and over time.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average Score, National Assessment of Educational Progress in Reading, Grade 8

Selected State Rankings, NAEP Scores, Reading, Grade 8, 2007 (“1” represents state with highest score. Scores are ranked from highest to lowest using a standard competition ranking method that accounts for ties occurring when two or more states have the same average score.)

3. AVERAGE SCORE ON NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRESS (NAEP) IN MATHEMATICS, GRADE 4

Definition: The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is a standardized test administered to a sample of students at participating schools. The average scores presented here represent a measure of performance in Math for students in the fourth grade. The scale used in scoring this assessment ranges from 0-500.

Significance: NAEP scores represent a standard measure by which to assess student performance and allowing for comparisons across states and over time.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average Score, National Assessment of Educational Progress in Mathematics, Grade 4

Selected State Rankings, NAEP Scores, Mathematics, Grade 4, 2007 (“1” represents state with highest score. Scores are ranked from highest to lowest using a standard competition ranking method that accounts for ties occurring when two or more states have the same average score.) *Tie

4. AVERAGE SCORE ON NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRESS (NAEP) IN MATHEMATICS, GRADE 8

Definition: The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) is a standardized test administered to a sample of students at participating schools. The average scores presented here represent a measure of performance in Math for students in the eighth grade. The scale used in scoring this assessment ranges from 0-500.

Significance: NAEP scores represent a standard measure by which to assess student performance and allowing for comparisons across states and over time.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average Score, National Assessment of Educational Progress in Mathematics, Grade 8

Selected State Rankings, NAEP Scores, Mathematics, Grade 8, 2007 (“1” represents state with highest score. Scores are ranked from highest to lowest using a standard competition ranking method that accounts for ties occurring when two or more states have the same average score.)

Definition: The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT)[ii] is one of the criteria used for admission decisions by many colleges and universities. In South Carolina, SAT scores are also considered to determined eligibility for three of the State’s merit-based scholarships, the financial support for which the General Assembly appropriates from the South Carolina Education Lottery. Beginning with the Class of 2006, the SAT Reasoning Test included a writing component.

Significance: The SAT remains a critical component used by some educators and policy-makers to academic ability. SAT rankings depend in part, on who is taking the test and in what numbers. Therefore, users are cautioned to consider the extent to which high school students in the various states are taking the test relative to their fellow students in other states.

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average SAT Scores

Average Composite SAT Scores of Neighboring States, Critical Reading and Math, Only

Definition: The ACT is a national college admission and placement examination. The ACT covers questions in English, math, reading, science, and writing (optional). First administered in 1959, the ACT is available for students to take in all fifty states. The examination is curriculum-based. It is not an aptitude or IQ test. Questions relate directly to what students have learned in high school coursework. The highest possible score on the ACT is 36.

Significance: The ACT is becoming increasingly popular among students, including South Carolina high school seniors.

[i] The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is sometimes referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card.” Congress first authorized NAEP in 1969 as a means of measuring student performance in reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other core areas of study. Test results have been reported on a state-by-state basis since 1990. NAEP produced a set of scores based on performance of students across the country and state=level results for participating states and jurisdictions. While all states conduct annual standardized tests to report on the performance of students on their specific curriculum objectives, those state tests vary substantially from state-to-state. Therefore, the results cannot be compared. NAEP provides a means by which to compare states and particular states to national performance. Through NAEP the Nation is more informed about what American students know and what they can do in key subject areas. NAEP also allows for measurement over time. The NAEP Program includes two types of assessments: Main NAEP and Long-term Trend NAEP.

Main NAEP embodies the assessments most often administered. The content of the main NAEP assessments is reviewed every ten years. Every two years, reading and mathematics are assessed at the national level at grades 4, 8, and 12 and at the state level at grades 4 and 8. Every four years, science and writing are assessed at the national level at grades 4, 8, and 12, and at the state level at grades 4 and 8. Other subjects are assessed periodically.

Long Term Trend NAEP measures student performance at the national level in reading and mathematics over time. Recent scores can be compared to those of earlier decades. This assessment is administered to 9, 13, and 17 year olds. Beginning with the 2004 Long-Term Trend assessment, results were reported for the nation every four years.

NAEP assessments are administered to samples of students in grades 4, 8, and 12. Schools are selected to be representative of states, the nation, or other jurisdictions as appropriate. Students are then randomly selected from those schools to participate. NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools. Any particular student may take only a small portion of the whole assessment. Responses are then combined and results reported for groups of students by characteristics such as gender and/or racial/ethnic membership. Student participation is voluntary and results have no effect on students’ grades. In 1990, NAEP began offering states the opportunity to participate in state-level assessments in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. Most states, including every southeastern state, agreed to participate. Beginning in 2003, the No Child Left Behind Act requires all states and school districts receiving federal Title I funds to participate in biennial NAEP reading and mathematics assessments for students in grades four and eight. NAEP provides a valid, reliable measure of overall student performance. Reading and mathematics are especially crucial and are subject areas for which multiple years of assessment data exist. Although every state has implemented a system of assessment to measure student performance, assessments vary according to the particular standards in place; therefore, states can not compare scores on such tests in any meaningful way. NAEP is administered to samples of students. NAEP provides a means by which to compare states and particular states to national performance.

Each NAEP assessment has multiple-choice questions scored using computers and open-ended questions which are scored by trained evaluators. Evaluators use scoring guides unique to each question to evaluate each response. They are evaluated with four-and five-level guides. The guide provides specific criteria by wh

HISTORICAL/TREND ANALYSIS, Average SAT Scores

Data reflects South Carolina (SC) average, United States (US) average, and Southeast (SE) average. The southeast region consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Significance: The ACT is becoming increasingly popular among students, including South Carolina high school seniors.