The iterative nature of this process means that the time involved may be as long as three years.
If NAEP were developing items associated with a new framework, the process could be even longer. There would be two major data collections, pilot testing in addition to field testing. These are important steps in the process as they are opportunities to collect large amounts of information from students regarding how they are performing and how they engage and interact with the items.
This is a time intensive process that keeps NAEP very busy. For example, in 2008: NAEP administered the arts assessment; field tested items for the 2009 reading assessment; reviewed and revised items for the reading 2011 assessment; and developed the planning document for the writing assessment.