A Proposal for Nevada's Participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress Trial State Assessment.

The original National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been criticized for its limited ability to provide information that is useful at a variety of levels. As a result, Congress authorized a voluntary NAEP Trial State Assessment Program for the assessment of mathematics at grade 8 in 1990, reading at grade 4 in 1992, and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 in 1992. These assessments will permit state-by-state comparisons. Considerations relevant to the participation of Nevada in the trial assessment are reviewed, and a summary of expected costs and benefits related to participation is presented. The many expected benefits are significant in their promise for improving both statewide assessment and the longitudinal analysis of educational progress within the state. The estimated direct cost would be less than 12% of the current budget for state-mandated proficiency testing. It is recommended that Nevada commit itself to the 3-year trial participation. The expected costs and benefits are summarized in one table. (SLD)