Are there differences in the students tested on the CSTs and NAEP?
Yes. With very few exceptions, the CSTs are given to all public school students in grades two through eleven. Every eligible student is given the complete battery of CSTs. In each state, NAEP is administered to a sample of students designed to be representative of the state and the nation. Because NAEP only reports at a group level (i.e., not individual students), this program uses a matrix test design, which means any one student is tested in one subject (e.g., mathematics) and only takes a portion of the test in the one subject.
