Assessing the Nation's Report Card

Assessing the Nation's Report Card examines the history of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and outlines potential plans for improving and modernizing the program. The book deftly explores why NAEP is considered the gold standard of educational assessments yet is less widely known than other standardized testing. For more than 50 years, this ambitious federal testing program has informed the decisions of policy makers and educational leaders as they advocate for educational improvements in the United States. Acknowledging the nation's evolving need for actionable information about students and schools, Chester E. Finn, Jr. provides an assured overview of the existing program and proposes possibilities for the future. "If you want to know how 'The Nation's Report Card' became the most reliable gauge of what and whether American children are learning, this book is a must read. Checker Finn knows the history better than anyone because he was present at NAEP's founding and has been its most persistent and thoughtful advocate ever since."--Lamar Alexander, former US Secretary of Education "Finn's vision of the future of NAEP is nuanced--balancing the technological possibilities of modern assessment with the many limits that now shape NAEP. This is a powerful book written by a master of exposition and analysis informed by a long personal history with 'The Nation's Report Card.'" --Mark Schneider, director, Institute of Education Sciences "Finn makes the very dense topic of NAEP easy and enjoyable to read while also preserving the critical place it holds for our country's future." --David Driscoll, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education and former chair of the National Assessment Governing Board Chester E. Finn, Jr. is a distinguished senior fellow and president emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.