About the NAEP Science Assessment
Contacts
The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Center for Education Statistics, within the Institute of Education Sciences, administers NAEP. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible by law for carrying out the NAEP project. The National Assessment Governing Board oversees and sets policy for NAEP.
For questions related to the NAEP administration or this report's results, contact us via the NCES NAEP website. For questions related to NAEP policy or frameworks, contact the National Assessment Governing Board at nagb@ed.gov or call 202-357-6938.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education and is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in select subjects. The NAEP science assessment measures students’ knowledge of three broad content areas—Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Sciences—and four science practices—Identifying Science Principles, Using Science Principles, Using Scientific Inquiry, and Using Technological Design. These four practices describe how students use their science knowledge by measuring what they are able to do with the science content. Results for the 2024 science assessment at grade 8 are reported for the nation.