as well as Chinese and North Koreans in the Korean War. Other released questions on math and writing have had similar criticism. Math answers have penalized students who understand negative square roots, interest on loans, and errors in extrapolating a graph beyond the data. NAEP's claim to measure critical thinking has also been criticized. UCLA researchers found that students could choose the correct answers without critical thinking. NAEP scores each test by a statistical method, sets cutoffs for "basic" and "proficient" standards, and gives examples of what students at each level accomplished on the test. The process to design the tests and standards has been criticized by Western Michigan University (1991), the National Academy of Education (1993), the Government Accountability Office (1993), the National Academy of Sciences (1999), the American Institutes for Research and RTI International (2007), Brookings Institution (2007 and 2016), the Buros Center for Testing (2009), and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016). Interpretation of NAEP results has been difficult: NAEP's category of "proficient" on a reading test given to fourth graders reflects students who do well on the test and are at seventh grade level. NAEP's category of "proficient" on a math test given to eighth graders reflects students who do well on the test and are at twelfth grade level. The fact that few eighth graders are proficient by this standard and achieve at twelfth grade level has been misinterpreted to allege that few eighth graders achieve even at eighth grade level. NAEP says, "Students who may be proficient in a subject, given the common usage of the term, might not satisfy the requirements for performance at the NAEP achievement level" James Harvey, principal author of A Nation at Risk, says, "It's hard to avoid concluding that the word was consciously chosen to confuse policymakers and the public." See also NAEP - Reading achievement References Further reading External links NAEP Data Explorer NAEP Questions Tool NAEP assessment reports since 2005 Massachusetts NAEP Web page The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) - From the Education Resources Information Center Clearinghouse on Tests Measurement and Evaluation. National Assessment Governing Board United States Department of Education Student assessment and evaluation