Arlington, VA – On October 30, 2019 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, released its findings for math and reading for grades 4 and 8. NAEP is considered the most consistent measure of U.S. student achievement over time. While most of the nation is facing tough questions on assessment scores in decline for public schools, Catholic school scores continue to trend higher.

“The NAEP results prove what the families of nearly 1.8 million Catholic school students already know,” said Dr. Thomas Burnford, NCEA President/CEO, “that Catholic schools meet and exceed parents’ expectations of academic excellence in a community of faith.“

The reading assessment is given every two years to students at grades 4 and 8 and measures reading comprehension by asking students to read selected grade-appropriate materials and answer questions based on what they have read. The results present a broad view of students’ reading knowledge, skills, and performance over time in public and non-public schools. Aside from Catholic schools, other private schools do not meet the minimum standard of responses to be included in the assessment.

NAEP is part of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Since 1990, it has been the primary federal entity collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. NCES fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.