Explore the Latest NAEP Reading Results

Read the Reading Report Card for the latest results, and see key findings in the Highlights

See Highlights from the Reading Report Card >

Reading Results

Results for
the Nation

Results from the 2017 NAEP reading assessment are reported for public and private school students in the nation and are compared to results from previous years.

Results for
States /
Jurisdictions

Results are reported in 2017 for public school students at grades 4 and 8 in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools.

Results for
Trial Urban
Districts

Results for the 2017 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) are reported for public school students in 27 participating districts at grades 4 and 8.

Sample
Questions

See examples of fourth- and eighth-grade passages and questions from the 2017 NAEP reading assessment and find out how students performed. Try some of the questions yourself.

Sample Questions >

Student
Experiences

Learn more about the prevalence of students' access to digital technology, the activities and skills their teachers emphasize in the classroom, and their approaches to learning.

Student Experiences >

About the Reading Assessment

How NAEP Assesses Reading

  • The NAEP reading assessment measures students' reading comprehension by asking them to read selected grade-appropriate materials and to answer questions based on what they have read. The assessment measures comprehension of literary and informational texts.
  • In 2017, the NAEP reading assessment was administered for the first time as a digitally based assessment at grades 4 and 8; prior to 2017, the reading assessment had been administered on paper.
  • The reading assessment was administered on tablets with attached keyboards. Passages were presented in full color and adapted to fit the tablet screen in either a paginated or scroll format.
  • The assessment included multiple-choice and constructed-response questions, most of which had also been administered in 2015.

Learn more about the NAEP reading assessment.

The Story of NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and nationally representative measure of trends in academic achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary students in various subjects. It is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in select subjects. It was first administered in 1969 to measure student achievement nationally. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States.

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