The Unexpected Expansion of NAEP

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), recently approved a new testing schedule for “The Nation’s Report Card” that allows for state-level results in grade 12 math, reading and civics; and grade 8 science and civics.

The updated schedule would take effect in 2028 for grade 8 civics and grade 12 math and reading. The grade 8 science test would be administered in 2029 and seniors would take a civics exam in 2032.

NAEP has long been seen as a measuring stick for states that have differing curriculum standards to compare student performance across the country. Texas students’ relative performance is often used as evidence to advance certain statewide policies, i.e. increasing standardized testing and a “back to basics” approach to instruction. 

This expansion is notable because the future of the assessment was uncertain in a second Trump administration that gutted the Department of Education (DOE). The addition of new assessments demonstrates, for better or worse, the continued federal commitment to collecting student data via testing. However, the NAEP is a voluntary program, so states will need to opt in to these new assessment “opportunities.”

There has been much ado about civics education in the media and state houses all over the country and Texas is no exception. House Bill (HB) 1605 (88R) required the establishment of a campus level training in civics. This program was approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE) in February and the training will begin to roll out for elementary schools this summer.