The National Assessment of Educational Progress in Economics: Test Framework, Content Specifications, and Results

A significant event for the advancement of economic education in the schools is the development of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in economics. For the first time, national data from a representative sample of students are available to measure the achievement of high school students in economics. The achievement results are reported overall, across three content areas, by cognitive levels, and for different subgroups of students. The results and data set are a valuable resource for evaluating the status of economic education in schools and for recommending needed changes. The authors review seven issues that had to be resolved in the preparation of this assessment to provide insights about this measure for potential users of the assessment results and data. They also provide a brief description of the results from the 2006 testing.