NAEP vets and reviews the NAEP assessment items at various stages of development with four groups of outside experts.
The Planning Committee consists of approximately twelve individuals. We include some of the framework development committee members in the Planning and Standing Committees as required by Board policy. This is an important overlap between the Board’s framework development process and the item writing process.
There are Standing Committees for every subject assessed. These individuals are at the top of their fields, whether in education or industry.
The State and District Review Panels are required by law for every major development process. Whether NAEP is developing items for new frameworks or replacement items for existing frameworks, input and review are required legislatively from the states and the local jurisdictions. These state and district panel members are composed of assessment directors, content specialists, and curriculum specialists.
The Academic Review Panel varies in number and is fairly new to the NAEP vetting process. These highly specialized individuals review the items to ensure quality and appropriateness of the items for the assessments.