It has been proposed that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) increase its efforts to gather and analyze data on student background, teachers, households, and schools. Adoption of this proposal would result in the inclusion in NAEP of additional background variables and subpopulations, to be defined by states. NAEP specification of subpopulations has allowed efficient sampling, examination of various subpopulations' achievement levels, and interesting statistical comparisons. Traditional NAEP subgroups have involved community characteristics (region, size, and type) and student characteristics (age; sex; ethnic group; parental education; and time spent on activities such as television, reading, and homework). It is desirable to maintain those reporting categories judged to be policy relevant, whether or not they have been consistent with national achievement trends. It is difficult to define and measure the most important policy relevant variables; prior research should support their validity as reliable indicators of the intended characteristics or process. Future reporting categories should allow meaningful comparisons for 1969-1987. Central control of data is suggested. Suggestions for state sampling and reporting of results are also presented. (GDC)