How NAEP Created a Perpetual Reading Crisis

Podcast: The Reading Instruction Show · Dr. Andy Johnson

Opublikowano: 2026-07-17

The NAEP proficiency levels were arbitrarily defined (Bracey, 2008; Ravitch, 2012; Reinking, Hruby, & Risko, 2023). These levels should be interpreted with extreme caution (Vaulton, 2025). The National Center for Education Statistics website provides three reasons for this (NCES, 2025): 1. Proficiency levels are based on desired expectations. Meaning that these levels are aspirational not mathematical. 2. These proficiency levels are currently being used on a trial basis. 3. Further evidence is needed to determine if these proficiency levels are “reasonable, valid, and informative”. If you’re looking for accessible, research-based information that slices through the endless loads of overly worded...