More Students are Not Meeting NAEP’s Minimum Achievement Expectations: Resources to Change the Trajectory
This is the last post in a three-part series highlighting the disturbing trend observed in the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). This post highlights resources that are available to states, districts, teachers, parents, and researchers – those who can make differences to our students. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its parent organization, the
Institute of Education Sciences (IES), publish various data tools, research reports, and guides with the purpose of improving educational outcomes for all students. Some of the available resources are highlighted here.
What else do we know about our low-performing students? The Department of Education supports special studies, special events, and focused reports to provide better and more detailed measures of specific performers.
Special Study/Report
| Special Study/Report | Description |
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NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Study
 |
This 2018 Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Study examined fourth-grade students’ reading fluency (that is, the ability to read text aloud with speed, accuracy, and proper expression) and foundational skills (word recognition and phonological decoding, such as the ability to read and understand common words). A major objective of the ORF study was to provide a nuanced picture of the reading performance of low-performing fourth-grade readers.
Teachers in the elementary grades typically assess students for oral reading fluency. The NAEP ORF study provides national benchmarks for common ORF measures as well as resources, such as sample audio and scoring files, that can be used for teacher professional development. |
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IES Reading Summit: Linking Data and Learning
| On June 8 and 9, 2021, the
IES and the
Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) convened a virtual conference to address one of the most important issues confronting American education today: the declining reading performance of America’s lowest-performing readers and the growing gap between low- and high-performing students.
Find the documents from the summit
here. |
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Focused Reports
 | NCES publishes focused reports providing details on student performance using data from national and international assessments.
- Read about widening score gaps between high and low performers on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in this
blog post.
- Review indicators for
mathematics and
reading from the Department of Education’s annual health check-up on education in the
Condition of Education.
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Where can you find resources to support all learners? The
Regional Educational Laboratories work in partnership with educators and policymakers to develop and use research that improves academic outcomes for students. They conduct applied research and training with a mission of supporting a more evidence-based education system. Example of REL products include:
Regional Educational Laboratories products
| Focus | Description |
|---|
Reading
|
Guide and Checklists for a School Leader’s Walkthrough During Literacy Instruction
This tool was developed to assist school leaders in observing specific research-based practices during literacy instruction and students’ independent use or application of those practices.
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Mathematics
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Assisting Struggling Students With Mathematics: What Works for Tiered Interventions in Elementary and Middle Schools
This REL Central webinar showcases research-based approaches described in the What Works Clearinghouse practice guide to assist students struggling in mathematics, with specific attention paid to setting up for success in algebra.
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Where can you access more data? NCES provides web tools for users to explore data and information for various assessments. These resources allow educators, parents, students, policymakers, and researchers to access information on student performance and content for assessments conducted by NCES.
NCES web tools for users to explore data and information for various assessments
| NCES Online Tool | Description |
|---|
| International Data Explorer | The
International Data Explorer allows users to explore results and create analyses from international studies, such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). |
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| NAEP Data Explorer | The
NAEP Data Explorer allows users to access data from all main subject areas for national, state, and trial urban district assessments (where available), view tables, run statistical tests, create charts, and export results. |
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| NAEP Questions Tool | The
NAEP Questions Tool allows users to search for assessment items by subject, grade, and difficulty. This includes student responses, data on performance, and scoring guides. Through this tool, you can also test yourself or create a quiz for your students. |
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| NAEP Item Maps |
NAEP Item Maps illustrate the knowledge and skills that students need to demonstrate at various scale scores and achievement levels. |
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Where can you access research-based guides and reports? The
What Works Clearinghouse provides many resources that have been rigorously reviewed and include evidence-based best practices and varied perspectives on how to support students struggling in reading and mathematics. Such resources include the following:
Closing remarks
The
first blog post in this series described the disturbing trend in the increase in the number of students not reaching the
NAEP Basic achievement level. The percentage of our students not meeting the
NAEP Basic achievement level demands attention and action. The
second blog post provided an overview of activities in which NCES is engaged in to better serve our students. This last blog post showcases a sample of the Institute of Education Sciences resources to support changing the trajectory, so that all students are able to meet the educational standards required of them. IES and its Centers are committed to providing scientific evidence on which to ground education practice and policy, and to share this information in formats that are useful and accessible to educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public.