A Tale of Two Tests: NAEP versus MAP Results in Missouri, 2019-2024

Written By SLU PRiME

Courtney Vahle, Ed.D. and Collin Hitt, Ph.D.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam—also known as The Nation’s Report Card—has been given to students since 1969. We discuss nationwide and Missouri-specific trends from the 2024 data release of 4th and 8th Grade Mathematics and Reading scores, and compare the results to the state’s own Missouri Assessment of Progress (MAP). Since 2019, the two sets of tests tell very different stories.

Key Points:

  • NAEP Reading and Math scores have declined significantly in Missouri since the pandemic, in both 4th and 8th grade.

  • This closely mirrors national trends but tells a very different story than the state’s own ELA and Math tests. We compare the relative declines in NAEP and MAP by converting the changes in standard deviation (SD) units.

  • These differences are most pronounced in Mathematics scores.

Please Cite As: Vahle, C., & Hitt, C. (2025). A tale of two tests: NAEP versus MAP results in Missouri. Policy Research in Missouri Education, 7(15). www.primecenter.org/policy-brief-database/naep

SLU PRiME
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