How did students perform in TEL?
In 2018, eighth-grade students scored higher in TEL overall compared to 2014. Also in 2018, a higher percentage of eighth-graders performed at or above NAEP Proficient in TEL.
More on these results, as well as other key stories from the 2018 TEL assessment, is in the Report Card Highlights.
Deeper TEL assessment data are available on pages within this Report Card.
Assessment Results—National
Average Scores Student Group Scores and Score Gaps NAEP Achievement-Level Results2014 Technology and Engineering Literacy (TEL) Assessment Results
Students taking the TEL assessment answered questions about their technology-related courses. Interesting findings emerged.
Read the Report
How NAEP Assesses Technology & Engineering Literacy
The TEL assessment measures three interconnected content areas—Technology and Society, Design and Systems, and Information and Communication Technology—and three practices that cut across the content areas—Understanding Technological Principles, Developing Solutions and Achieving Goals, and Communicating and Collaborating. When solving problems, students are expected to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge and skills by applying each of the practices within and across the content areas. Learn more about what the TEL content areas and practices measured.
- TEL was administered between January and March in 2018.
- Approximately 15,400 eighth-graders from about 600 schools across the nation participated in 2018.
- TEL was delivered via laptops and included 15 scenario-based tasks and 77 discrete questions.
- Total cognitive testing time per student was 60 minutes.
- Survey questionnaires were administered to students and school administrators.
The Story of NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing and nationally representative measure of trends in academic achievement of U.S. elementary and secondary students in various subjects. It is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in select subjects. It was first administered in 1969 to measure student achievement nationally. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States.