NAEP serves an invaluable role in tracking the nation’s student achievement across time and content areas. NAEP measures the academic achievement of students through assessments in multiple subjects. Ensuring that NAEP assessments are valid measures of student achievement is critical to the success of education efforts in the United States. 

Purpose

The goal of the NAEP Assessment Framework Update project is to ensure that NAEP assessments continue to be valid measures of what students know and are able to do in critical subject areas.  

Under contracts awarded by the National Assessment Governing Board, WestEd led the updating of NAEP Assessment Frameworks in Mathematics, Reading, and Science. WestEd convened expert panels to develop updated frameworks, gathered public comments on drafts, and facilitated input from technical and educator advisory committees. The resulting updates to the frameworks will be reflected in the administration of the 2026 Reading and Mathematics and the 2028 Science NAEP.

Audiences Served

Using updated assessment frameworks, NAEP results provide a snapshot of our entire K–12 education system. The results provide educators, policymakers, elected officials, and parents across the country with invaluable information regarding how students are doing compared to other students in participating large urban districts, other states, and the nation.

Project Activities

NAEP Assessment Framework Update activities were centered around a Steering Panel, which provides high-level recommendations to inform the update process, and a subset of that group, the Development Panel, which generates the major deliverables in consultation with a Technical Advisory Committee and an Educator Advisory Committee. After an initial working draft of the updated Framework was shared with the public, the Development Panel revised it and made related updates to the Specifications document.

Project Directors

Steve Schneider

Steve Schneider has over 30 years of experience in STEM education and currently serves as a senior research advisor to large STEM research partnerships with for-profit and not-for-profit companies.

Mark Loveland

Mark Loveland works as a Senior Research Associate with the Learning and Technology team.

Funder

This project is funded in full by the National Assessment Governing Board through award numbers 91995918C0001 and 91995922C0001.

Project Duration

Mathematics and Reading: 40 months (9/6/2018-12/23/2021) 
 
Science: 18 months (7/6/2022–2/26/2024)