Percentages of Students in Urban Districts Identified, Excluded, and Assessed in Science
NAEP has always endeavored to assess all students selected as a part of its sampling process, including students who are classified by their schools as students with disabilities (SD) and/or as English language learners (ELL) or limited English proficient (LEP). (LEP students are sometimes called English language learners). Some SD or ELL students who could not be effectively assessed by the regular NAEP assessment can be assessed with the assistance of specific accommodations approved for use in NAEP by NCES. Staff at participating schools decide whether SD and ELL students can participate in NAEP with or without accommodations or whether they must be excluded from participation in NAEP, using guidelines developed by NCES.
The percentages of students excluded from NAEP may vary considerably across states and districts, as well as across years. Comparisons of achievement results across districts and within a district across years should be interpreted with caution if the exclusion rates vary widely.
Read more about the NAEP inclusion policy, or view the percentage of students by the types of accommodations provided as part of the science assessment.