The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is congressionally mandated as a part of the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA)and is overseen and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP has provided important information about how students are performing academically since 1969. The National Assessment Governing Board, an independent body appointed by the Secretary of Education, sets NAEP policy.
ESRA(P.L. 107-279) is the governing statute of NAEP. This law stipulates that NCES develops and administers NAEP and reports NAEP results. Under the law, the Governing Board is given responsibility for setting the assessment schedule, developing the frameworks that provide the blueprint for the content and design of the assessment, and setting achievement levels.
