The 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) monitored the performance of students in the subject areas of reading, mathematics, science, and writing. About 124,000 students were in the national sample for this assessment. The students were 9-, 13-, or 17 years old or in grades 4, 8, or 12. This technical report provides details on the instrument development, sample design, data collection, and data analysis procedures for the 1996 assessment. The reader is cautioned that results from the 1996 long-term trend assessment in writing are currently under review. Consequently, some of the information contained in this technical report regarding the long-term trend writing assessment should be considered preliminary or partial. This Internet edition of "The NAEP 1996 Technical Report" does incorporate all changes listed on the errata sheet distributed with the print edition.
