National Assessment Governing Board

What National Assessment Governing Board does

The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is an independent, nonpartisan federal advisory board established by Congress in 1988 and formalized under P.L. 107-279 (signed November 5, 2002). NAGB sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as The Nation's Report Card, which is the only nationally representative and congressionally mandated assessment of U.S. student achievement. NAGB determines subjects and content NAEP assesses, sets achievement levels (Basic, Proficient, Advanced), and oversees release of results across mathematics, reading, science, civics, U.S. history, writing, and technology and engineering literacy at grades 4, 8, and 12. The Board also administers the Long-Term Trend (LTT) assessment tracking 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds since the 1970s, and the Trends in Urban Districts Assessment (TUDA) program covering 20+ large urban districts.

NAGB's core technology stack centers on the NAEP assessment frameworks, achievement-level definitions, and digital-based assessment delivery (transitioning from paper to computer-based testing). The organization publishes results through NationsReportCard.gov using Power BI-powered interactive data tools that allow exploration of national, state, and district pandemic-era score changes. A 26-member Board appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education provides governance, supported by a small professional staff led by Executive Director Lesley Muldoon. NAGB operates with NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) as its primary operational partner, which administers the assessments and maintains the data infrastructure.

NAGB does not generate commercial revenue. It is funded entirely through federal appropriations under P.L. 107-279, with FY 2003 appropriations of $4.6 million for the Governing Board (Section 302) and $107.5 million for NAEP overall (Section 303). State participation in grades 4 and 8 reading and math is mandatory under the Every Student Succeeds Act; other subjects and urban district participation are voluntary. The Board's go-to-market operates through quarterly public meetings, monthly newsletters, press releases, op-eds, congressional testimony, social media, and the nagb.gov and NationsReportCard.gov websites.

Name

National Assessment Governing Board

Legal name

National Assessment Governing Board

Website

https://nagb.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, nonpartisan federal advisory board that sets policy for NAEP (The Nation's Report Card), the congressionally mandated national assessment of U.S. student achievement across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Assessment Policy and Oversight

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Curriculum, Standards & Assessment Policy Research (EDADADAH), Education Reporting, Dashboards & Business Intelligence (BI) (EDADAIAC)

Keywords

• Educational assessment policy
• National student achievement
• Standardized testing oversight
• Government education research
• Achievement level measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: The National Assessment Governing Board and NAEP program are funded through federal appropriations authorized by P.L. 107-279. For FY 2003, appropriations were $4.6 million for the Governing Board (Section 302) and $107.5 million for NAEP (Section 303). The organization does not generate revenue from commercial activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

The National Assessment Governing Board sets policy for and oversees The Nation's Report Card (NAEP), the only nationally representative and congressionally mandated assessment of U.S. student achievement. It administers and reports results for grades 4, 8, and 12 across mathematics, reading, science, civics, U.S. history, and writing, plus the Long-Term Trend assessment of 9- and 13-year-olds and the Trends in Urban Districts Assessment (TUDA) for 20+ urban districts. The Board operates as a federally chartered, independent, nonpartisan advisory body funded through congressional appropriations.

Product overview

The National Assessment Governing Board oversees NAEP (The Nation's Report Card), a comprehensive educational assessment program. The core offering is The Nation's Report Card platform providing standardized test results for grades 4, 8, and 12 across six subject areas: Mathematics, Reading, Science, Civics, U.S. History, and Writing. Supporting products include the Long-Term Trend assessment tracking 9- and 13-year-old performance since the 1970s, the Trends in Urban Districts Assessment (TUDA) for 20+ urban districts, and NAEP Survey Data providing contextual student experience information. The portfolio includes interactive data tools with Power BI visualizations for exploring pandemic-era score changes, and the Next Gen NAEP initiative for ongoing program modernization. Achievement level frameworks and assessment blueprints define content standards across all subjects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Nation's Report Card (NAEP) The primary public-facing assessment program providing nationally representative measures of K-12 student academic achievement in math, reading, science, U.S. history, civics, and writing, with results at national, state, and urban district levels.
• NAEP Mathematics Assessment Standardized assessment measuring what 4th, 8th, and 12th grade students know and can do in mathematics, with achievement levels ranging from NAEP Basic to NAEP Advanced.
• NAEP Reading Assessment Standardized assessment measuring 4th, 8th, and 12th grade student reading proficiency, including literary and informational texts and skills like sequence, categorization, and evaluation.
• NAEP Science Assessment Assessment measuring 8th grade student knowledge in physical science, life science, and earth and space sciences, with achievement levels based on identifying, understanding, and explaining scientific concepts.
• NAEP Civics Assessment Assessment measuring 8th grade student knowledge of civics, including understanding of constitutional principles, citizenship, and political processes.
• NAEP U.S. History Assessment Assessment measuring 8th grade student knowledge of American history, examining historical events, figures, and developments across different eras.
• NAEP Writing Assessment Assessment measuring 8th and 12th grade student writing skills, evaluating ability to produce effective and well-reasoned written responses.
• NAEP Long-Term Trend (LTT) Assessment Age-based national assessment measuring math and reading achievement among 9- and 13-year-olds since the 1970s, providing long-term trend comparisons showing how current students perform compared to historical cohorts.
• NAEP Trends in Urban Districts Assessment (TUDA) Assessment program measuring achievement in 20+ large urban school districts, providing trend data to enable comparisons across urban education systems.
• Interactive NAEP Data Tool Power BI-based interactive tool allowing users to explore pandemic-era score changes between 2019, 2022, and 2024 for the nation, states, and participating districts, including average scores and proficiency percentages.
• Next Gen NAEP Modernization initiative to update the NAEP program while maintaining its three-decade trendline, examining technology integration, AI applications, platform improvements, and data accessibility enhancements.

Quantifiable outcome

• NAEP provides the only nationally representative measure of K-12 student academic progress, allowing comparison across states, districts, and demographic groups.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026NCES is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Education that administers NAEP. The Governing Board sets policy for NAEP while NCES carries out the assessments, collects data, and maintains technical infrastructure. This is the primary operational partnership for the entire NAEP program.
• Education FirstcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2026Serves as project manager and lead researcher for the Next Gen NAEP initiative, publishing public-facing resources and coordinating the modernization effort.
• Institute of Design at Illinois TechcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 February 2026Leads the structured human-centered design process for Next Gen NAEP, identifying core solutions and testing real prototypes with NAEP users.
• Next Generation NAEP Advisory CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Expert advisory committee including Matthew Soldner (Acting Director, IES/NCES), Martin West (NAGB Vice Chair), Lesley Muldoon (NAGB Executive Director), Chad Aldeman, Jessica Baghian, John Behrens, Kathleen Brandenburg, Jack Buckley, Okan Bulut, Andrew Ho, Kevin Huffman, Daniel McGrath, Marianne Perie, and Simone Wright. Provides guidance throughout the Next Gen NAEP initiative.
• Council of the Great City SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Task Force established to collaborate on urban education issues and TUDA program development.
• Council of Chief State School OfficersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Task Force established to collaborate on state education assessment and accountability issues.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• College Board: College Board administers the SAT, AP, and other large-scale U.S. K-12 and college-readiness assessments. While its primary focus is college admissions, its nationally standardized testing infrastructure and policy influence make it a broad incumbent comparable to NAGB's national assessment role.
• ACT: ACT is a mission-driven nonprofit that administers the ACT college-readiness assessment and ACT Aspire for K-12. It is comparable to NAGB in operating a nationally standardized, curriculum-based assessment used for benchmarking and policy decisions.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS is a major nonprofit that develops and administers standardized assessments (TOEFL, GRE, Praxis for teacher licensure). As the operational contractor for NAEP historically, ETS is closely tied to NAGB's assessment infrastructure and shares comparable psychometric methodology.

Direct peers

• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): NCES is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of Education that actually administers NAEP assessments while NAGB sets policy. As the operational counterpart to NAGB's governing role, NCES is the most direct peer in mission and data infrastructure.

Others

• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): CCSSO is a nonpartisan, nationwide membership organization for state chiefs of education. It collaborates with NAGB through joint task forces on state assessment and accountability, serving as a peer in coordinating state-level participation and policy alignment.
• Education Trust: Education Trust is a nonprofit that promotes high academic achievement for all students, particularly those historically underserved. It analyzes NAEP data extensively to produce equity-focused reports, making it a thematic peer in education policy advocacy using NAGB's data outputs.
• Council of the Great City Schools: Council of the Great City Schools is a coalition of large urban school districts that partners with NAGB on the TUDA program. Comparable as an institutional peer in urban district benchmarking and joint task force work on urban education.
• National Congress of American Indians (for tribal education data): While a different mission, NCAI and similar organizations use NAEP data for tribal education policy. Comparable as a stakeholder organization that translates NAEP outputs into actionable policy for a specific demographic segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GovBoard
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/governingboard
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheGoverningBoard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nagb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles33 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Assessment Governing Board