Why should students participate in NAEP?
The participation of each child selected is important to the success of The Nation’s Report Card, because only a representative sample will allow the assessment to provide fair, accurate, and useful information on student achievement. Each child represents hundreds of students in his or her state. Without each child’s participation, The Nation’s Report Card would not fully represent students in similar schools with respect to geographic location, minority enrollment, and other characteristics. NAEP provides the common measure we need to tell us how America’s students are performing in various subject areas. It informs us how student performance has changed over time, and allows states to compare their progress with that of other states and the nation as a whole. As the “Nation’s Report Card,” NAEP must provide data that accurately represent all students. To reduce the burden of testing, NAEP selects the fewest possible schools and students that will provide an accurate picture of a sta
