Opinion: Understanding the Significance of the NAEP Proficient Score for Learning

In September, The 74 featured an opinion piece by Robert Pondiscio emphasizing that individuals with limited reading abilities struggle to "effectively weigh competing claims" and "cannot reconcile conflicts, judge evidence, or detect bias." He noted, "They may read the words, but they cannot test the arguments." To support his argument, Pondiscio referred to the skill level required to score proficient or higher on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a threshold only reached by 30% of students in the 2024 Grade 8 reading exam. Among specific groups, only 16% of Black students and 19% of Hispanic students achieved proficiency or above.

Some critics argue that the NAEP proficiency standard is set too high and that its alarming results are misleading, suggesting there is no educational crisis. However, research on eighth-grade test performance in Kentucky indicates that Pondiscios assessment aligns with the evidence. Kentucky data show this applies not only to NAEP reading but also to NAEP math results.

Kentucky provided a unique research opportunity. Beginning in 2006, the state administered ACT-developed exams to all students in multiple grades. This included the ACT college entrance exam for 11th graders and the EXPLORE test for eighth graders. Both exams featured "Readiness Benchmark" scores, created by ACT, Inc., which were determined by tracking students college performance years later. Students who met these benchmarks in reading or math had at least a 75% probability of earning a "C" or higher in corresponding freshman college courses.

Comparisons between Kentuckys benchmark performance and NAEP proficiency revealed close alignment. For instance, in Grade 8 reading, the percentage of students meeting EXPLORE benchmarks and the NAEP proficiency rates differed by no more than four percentage points in the 200809, 201011, 201213, and 201415 testing periods. Similar consistency was observed for Grade 8 math. Separate analyses for white, Black, and learning-disabled students also confirmed that EXPLORE benchmark percentages and NAEP proficiency rates closely matched.

Comparing high school ACT results to prior Grade 8 NAEP scores was more complex because NAEP does not provide state-level high school data. Yet, matching each cohorts eighth-grade NAEP performance to their ACT results four years later showed consistent alignment for graduating classes of 2017, 2019, and 2021, both overall and within individual student groups. When accounting for NAEPs statistical sampling errors, the alignment between NAEP, EXPLORE, and ACT results appears even stronger.

The conclusion is clear: the close correlation between NAEP proficiency rates and ACT benchmark outcomes in Kentucky demonstrates that NAEP proficiency levels are reliable indicators of essential academic skills. Assertions that NAEPs standards are unrealistically high are unfounded. Consequently, the performance of public school students in Kentucky and across the U.S. is a serious concern, with many lacking the reading and math skills required for contemporary life. Education leaders should respond to these findings by intensifying efforts to strengthen fundamental skills for all students.

Author: Sophia Brooks