Most states’ proficiency standards at or below NAEP’s definition of Basic performance

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Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales: Variation and Change in State Standards for Reading and Mathematics, 2005-2009

Executive Summary

This report contains the findings of a study that compared the relative rigor of state proficiency standards in mathematics and reading using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scale as a common yardstick.

Each individual state develops its own state assessments in mathematics and reading and sets its own proficiency standard. States can vary widely in the standards they set for their students. By using NAEP as a common yardstick, it was possible for this study to compare state proficiency standards.

Findings include:

• Most states’ proficiency standards were at or below NAEP’s definition of Basic performance.

• For those states that had made substantive changes in their assessment between 2007 and 2009, most moved toward more rigorous standards as measured by NAEP.

• For those states that had made substantive changes in their assessment between 2005 and 2009, changes in the rigor of states’ standards as measured by NAEP were mixed but showed more decreases than increases in the rigor of their standards.

• Changes in the proportion of students meeting states’ standards for proficiency between 2005 and 2007 and between 2007 and 2009 were not corroborated by the proportion of students meeting proficiency as measured by NAEP.

Additional resources for understanding state proficiency standards, including profiles of proficiency standards for each state, frequently asked questions, and copies of past report.

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