What types of questions are asked on NAEP?
A NAEP assessment is divided into two sections: subject-specific test questions and questions about student backgrounds and educational experiences. Test questions are asked to measure fourth-, eighth-, twelfth-graders’ knowledge and skills in a variety of subjects, including reading, mathematics, writing, science, U.S. history, geography, civics, and the arts. Each of these subjects is tested periodically, and students are asked questions on only one subject per assessment. Background questions are asked to get information about students’ gender, race and ethnicity, and other topics. The questions are required by Congress to provide a more informative picture of how different groups of students are performing. NAEP is prohibited by law from asking about personal or family beliefs and attitudes. The questions are either multiple choice, where the students choose from a few possible answers, or open-ended format, where the students write their own responses. By law, all NAEP questions a
