Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales
Report: Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales
Author(s): National Center for Education Statistics
Date: 2007
DOE Institute for Education Sciences National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
The NCES has released a new research report, Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales. The new report uses NAEP as a common yardstick for comparisons among the proficiency standards set by each state for fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics, and for comparisons between these state standards and the national performance benchmarks. Among the key findings:
- States vary widely in the NAEP-equivalents of their proficiency standards. There is up to an 81-point difference in proficiency standards between the states, about twice the range seen in overall student performance on NAEP.
- Most state proficiency standards fall within the NAEP
Basic range-except in 4th-grade reading, where most fall below Basic.
- A state's proficiency standard is not necessarily tied to student performance on NAEP. For example, a state may have a less rigorous AYP standard, but consistently score high on NAEP.
