Reflections on the Future of NAEP: Instrument for Monitoring or for Accountability?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is now accepted as the nation’s report card, but getting there took over 30 years and a convoluted process beset by technical and political issues. After summarizing the history of NAEP and its successful use as a monitoring instrument, the author discusses the ramifications of its use as an accountability instrument, including how it could negatively affect educational outcomes and the validity of the NAEP tests.