Achievement of Students in Writing From The Nation’s Report Card TM to be Released on April 3

Report Card Highlights Achievement at National, State and Urban District Levels

WHAT:

Release of The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2007, detailing the performance of students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Results are presented nationally for both eighth and 12th-graders, and in participating states and urban districts for eighth-graders only. Participating urban districts include Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; and San Diego. In most cases, results are compared to achievement on previous writing assessments in 2002 and 1998.

WHO:

David W. Gordon, Superintendent of Schools, Sacramento County, Calif., and member of the National Assessment Governing Board
Mark Schneider, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics
Amanda Avallone, Assistant Principal and 8th-Grade Teacher, Boulder, Colo., and member of the National Assessment Governing Board
Michael Casserly, Executive Director, Council of the Great City Schools
James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress

WHEN:

Thursday, April 3, 2008
10 - 11 a.m. EDT

WHERE:

The Library of Congress (Madison Building, Madison Hall)
101 Independence Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20540
Use entrance at Independence and 2nd Streets; please bring photo ID and allow extra time for building security.

Copies of The Nation's Report Card and additional data collected from the 2007 NAEP writing assessment will be available online at http://nationsreportcard.gov at 10 a.m. EDT on April 3.

Download the PDF version of this release

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is the only nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States. It has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the Nation's Report Card, NAEP informs the public about what American students know and can do in various subject areas and compares achievement between states, large urban districts, and various student demographic groups.
The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988 to oversee and set policy for NAEP.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 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.