Congressional interest in testing also encompasses a national assessment program, authorized by the National Assessment of Educational Progress Assessment Act (NAEPAA; Title III, Section 303 of P.L. 107-279 , Section 153(a)(6)). At the international level, U.S. students participate in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Purposes of Large-Scale Assessments

The primary purposes of large-scale assessments are to highlight achievement gaps, track national progress over time, compare student achievement within the United States, and compare U.S. academic performance to the performance of other countries. States that receive Title I-A ESEA funding (currently, all states) are also required to participate in biennial NAEP assessments of reading and mathematics for the 4 th and 8 th grades. The main NAEP program consists of three subprograms: national NAEP, state NAEP, and the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). In 2017, the most recent administration of the main NAEP, 585,000 4 th and 8 th grade students participated. Since it was initially the only NAEP assessment, the LTT NAEP assessment items changed over time throughout the 1970s and 1980s to reflect changes in the nation's curricula. Average reading scores did not change significantly for 4 th grade students, but there was a small, statistically significant improvement for 8 th grade students. In general achievement gaps have significantly narrowed or remained unchanged. International Assessments

The United States regularly participates in three international assessments: TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA. While U.S. students have participated in international assessments since the 1960s, the modern era of international assessments began in the mid-1990s. Increases in achievement for 4 th grade mathematics may be driven by the performance of average or above average groups, however, the increases are not statistically significant. Figure 6 shows the results for 4 th grade reading achievement by achievement level across time. PISA

PISA is an international comparative study of 15-year-old students in the content areas of science, reading, and mathematics "literacy." Issues of Interpretation in Large-Scale Assessments

Results of national and international assessments are difficult to interpret for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most difficult issue in the interpretation of large-scale assessments is processing the large volume of data presented in reports. When large numbers of results are reported in national and international assessments, it can be challenging to compile assessment results across assessments to determine how well U.S. students are achieving over time and relative to other countries. Statistical significance cannot determine the magnitude of the difference and whether or not it is of educational significance. A narrow focus on one assessment at one point in time, however, may not provide appropriate context for interpreting the results. Another issue to consider is the trend over time. Comparing Results Across Assessments

Since U.S. students participate in national assessments and several international assessments, there is a natural inclination to want to compare results from one assessment to another, especially when results are released within a short timeframe. The specific content measured by statewide assessments, however, is aligned with the state's content standards. There are also some additional considerations, including the different target populations, participating education systems, differences in voluntary student participation, and the precision of measurement. As previously discussed, students already participate in myriad assessments at the state and local levels, including state assessments in reading, mathematics, and science required under ESEA Title I-A. Additional Resources on National and International Assessments
For more information on NAEP: 
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/
For more information on TIMSS: 
https://nces.ed.gov/timss/https://iea.nl/timss/
For more information on PIRLS:
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/https://iea.nl/pirls/
For more information on PISA:
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/http://www.oecd.org/pisa/
For more information on the coordination of NAEP and international assessments:
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/about/international.aspx
Other CRS reports on assessment in elementary and secondary education:
CRS In Focus IF11021, National and International Educational Assessments CRS Report R45048, Basic Concepts and Technical Considerations in Educational Assessment: A Primer CRS Report R45049, Educational Assessment and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
Appendix C. Glossary of Acronyms
CCSS: Common Core State Standards
ED: U.S. Department of Education
EL: English learner
ESEA: Elementary and Secondary Education Act
ESRA: Education Sciences Reform Act ( P.L. 107-279 , Title I)
ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act ( P.L. 114-95 )
FIMS: First International Math Study
GDP: Gross domestic product
IEA: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
LTT NAEP: Long-term trends National Assessment of Educational Progress
NAEP: National Assessment of Educational Progress
NAEPAA: National Assessment of Educational Progress Assessment Act ( P.L.
U.S. students participate in many assessments to track their educational achievement. Perhaps the most widely discussed of these are statewide assessments required by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was most recently comprehensively amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95). However, U.S. students also participate in large-scale national assessments, authorized by the National Assessment of Educational Progress Assessment Act (NAEPAA; Title III, Section 303 of P.L. 107-279), and international assessments, authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA; Title I, Section 153(a)(6) of P.L. 107-279). At the national level, students participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). At the international level, U.S. students participate in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Although there are some similarities between statewide, national, and international assessments, they differ in purpose and level of reporting. For example, the purpose of statewide assessments is primarily to inform statewide accountability systems and provide information on individual achievement. By contrast, the purpose of large-scale assessments is to highlight achievement gaps, track national progress over time, compare achievement within the United States, and compare U.S. achievement to that of other countries. Results of these assessments are not reported for individuals.
National Assessments: The NAEP is a series of assessments measuring achievement in various content areas. The long-term trends NAEP (LTT NAEP) has tracked achievement since the 1970s and has remained relatively unchanged. The main NAEP assessment has tracked achievement since the 1990s and changes periodically to reflect changes in school curricula. The main NAEP has three levels: national, state, and Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). States that receive Title I-A funding under the ESEA are required to participate in biennial state NAEP assessments in reading and mathematics for 4th and 8th grade. Results from the 2017 main NAEP show a small but significant increase in 8th grade reading since 2015. There were no significant changes in 4th grade reading, 4th grade mathematics, or 8th grade mathematics since 2015. Longer term, however, average reading and mathematics scores have increased significantly since the initial administrations in the 1990s.
International Assessments: The United States participates in three international assessments: TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA. TIMSS is an assessment of mathematics and science for 8th grade students. PIRLS is an assessment of reading literacy for 4th grade students. PISA is an assessment of reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy for 15 year old students. In general, U.S. students have made statistically significant gains since the initial administrations of international assessments; however, achievement did not consistently increase in the most recent administrations of international assessments.
Issues of Interpretation of National and International Assessments: Results of national and international assessments are difficult to interpret. One challenge is processing the large amount of data. Another is understanding the difference between statistical significance and educational significance. Reporting statistical significance is standard practice in research, but it does not convey the magnitude of a difference and its associated educational significance. Another issue is the tendency to focus narrowly on one assessment at one point in time. A narrow focus may not provide the appropriate context to interpret results accurately. International assessment results may also be affected by socioeconomic considerations within and across countries.
Comparing Results Across Assessments: Comparing results across national and international assessments can be challenging. Each assessment was created for a unique purpose by different groups of stakeholders, which makes direct comparisons difficult. There are a number of issues to consider when evaluating U.S. students' performance across assessments. For example, consideration must be given to the differences in (1) the degree of alignment of content standards and assessments, (2) the target population being assessed, (3) the voluntary nature of student participation, (4) the participating education systems, (5) the scale of the assessment, and (6) the precision of measurement for each assessment.