# Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2027
**AGENCY:**
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education (ED).
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a revision of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).
**DATES:**
Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 17, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
To access and review all the documents related to the information collection listed in this notice, please use *http://www.regulations.gov* by searching the Docket ID number ED-2025-SCC-1141. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at *http://www.regulations.gov* by selecting the Docket ID number or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the *regulations.gov* site is not available to the public for any reason, the Department will temporarily accept comments at *[email protected].* Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. Please note that comments submitted after the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be addressed to the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave. SW, LBJ, Room 5C125, Washington, DC 20202-1200.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Matt Soldner, 202-453-7441.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
The Department, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. The Department is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records.
*Title of Collection:* National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2027.
*OMB Control Number:* 1850-0928.
*Type of Review:* A revision of a currently approved ICR.
*Respondents/Affected Public:* State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
*Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses:* 17,830.
*Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours:* 10,625.
*Abstract:* The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a federally authorized survey of student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12 in various subject areas, such as mathematics, reading, writing, science, U.S. history, and civics.
NAEP is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. NCES is responsible for designing and executing the assessment, including designing the assessment procedures and methodology, developing the assessment content, selecting the final assessment content, sampling schools and students, recruiting schools, administering the assessment, scoring student responses, determining the analysis procedures, analyzing the data, and reporting the results.
The National Assessment Governing Board (henceforth referred to as the Governing Board or NAGB), appointed by the Secretary of Education but independent of the Department, is a bipartisan group whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. The Governing Board sets policy for NAEP and is responsible for developing the frameworks and test specifications that serve as the blueprint for the assessments.
NAEP consists of two assessment programs: the NAEP Long-term Trend (LTT) assessment and the main NAEP assessment. The LTT assessments are given at the national level only and are administered to students at ages 9, 13, and 17 in a manner that is very different from that used for the main NAEP assessments. LTT reports mathematics and reading results that present trend data since the 1970s. LTT does not provide scores for individual students or schools.
The main NAEP assessments report current achievement levels and trends in student achievement at grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation and, for certain assessments ( *e.g.,* reading and mathematics), states and select urban districts ( *i.e.,* Trial Urban District Assessment, or TUDA). The main NAEP assessments provide results on subject-matter achievement, instructional experiences, and school environment for different student populations ( *e.g.,* all fourth-graders) and groups within those populations ( *e.g.,* sex [male and female students], race/ethnicity groups). NAEP does not provide scores for individual students or schools.
The NAEP assessments contain two different types of items: “cognitive” assessment items, which measure what students know and can do in an academic subject, and “survey” or “non-cognitive” items, which gather information such as demographic variables, as well as construct-related information, such as courses taken. The survey portion includes a collection of data from students, teachers, and school administrators. Since NAEP assessments are administered uniformly using the same sets of test forms across the nation, NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and select urban districts. The assessment stays essentially the same from year to year, with only carefully documented changes. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time.
The possible universe of student respondents for NAEP 2027 is estimated to be 12,000 students at grade 8 attending the approximately 308 public and private schools in a variety of states and the District of Columbia and may include Bureau of Indian Education Schools.
This request is to conduct NAEP in 2027, specifically for the Grade 8 Science Pilot.
NAEP will administer the assessment using school devices and the internet. For schools that cannot meet the minimum specification for the use of school devices, NAEP will provide an alternate delivery model utilizing NAEP Chromebooks. NAEP has transitioned to primarily administer on school devices with a staged approach so that trends can be measured across time. NAEP conducted a School-based Equipment study in 2024 (OMB #1850-0803 v.347) as well as a Field Test in 2025 (OMB #1850-0803 v.353) to provide more information about student and school interactions with the eNAEP system on school devices, as compared to NAEP Chromebooks and Surface Pros, to inform the use of school devices at a larger scale in NAEP assessments beginning in 2026. Also, a 2026 bridge study will compare NAEP devices and school devices to evaluate whether scores from the two different assessment models are comparable. Note: in this study, some schools that qualify to be assessed on school devices will be assessed on NAEP devices, since the two different school types ( *i.e.,* those qualified to assess on school devices, and those not qualified to assess on school devices) may have different characteristics. This will allow the study to establish a common linking population.
This Clearance package is the first submission for the 2027 assessment, with both 60-day and 30-day consecutive public comment period notices that will be published in the *Federal Register* . While some drafted materials are included in this 60-day package in Appendices D, E, and I, the majority of 2027 materials are not available for this submission. Several final communications and Assessment Management System screens will be available in the 30-day package, which will be posted to the *Federal Register* in March 2026. This Clearance Package will have one amendment, which is planned to be submitted in July 2026, and which will replace any remaining drafted materials with final versions for the 2027 NAEP assessments.
Ross Santy,
Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.