Decoding NAEP: Different Contexts, Different Results?

The fourth session in our Decoding NAEP series brought together leaders from across educational contexts including: Raymond C. Hart, Ph.D. of the Council of the Great City Schools; Drew Jacobs, of National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; Kathleen Porter-Magee of Leadership Roundtable; Melissa Sadorf, Ed.D., of Arizona Rural Schools Association; and Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, Ed.D. of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Panelists discussed learning recovery, key drivers of progress, ongoing challenges, and future plans. 

While concerns about the NAEP results were shared, participants also highlighted areas of progress and effective strategies. A key insight from the discussion was the identification of common success factors across diverse school settings. Here are a few key takeaways:

• The importance of a strong and positive school culture means having clear priorities around learning and development, and everyone in the system understanding, living out, and consistently conveying those priorities to students, families, and communities.
• The value of a comprehensive approach to early literacy emphasizes early oral skills, word knowledge, and a content-rich, knowledge-based curriculum that supports literacy development.
• Student and family supports matter. Kids need to be in a position to learn, and, whatever the setting, it is vital to create positive conditions for learning.
• Adequate and dependable resources and support matter. Being able to pursue a consistent approach over time creates predictability and allows for continued improvement.

We hope you will continue to be a part of this important dialogue and attend the March sessions of our Decoding NAEP series. Join us on March 11 when we will hear from parent groups that are using the NAEP data and other assessments to promote better outcomes and resources for their children, and on March 18 to hear from Chief State School Officers in five states about their NAEP scores and their plans for the future.

If you were able to attend the session, we would love to hear your feedback! We appreciate your help in filling out the following form as we seek to learn and understand the perspectives, ideas, critiques and recommendations that better inform our key audiences.