The Nation's Report Card[TM] informs the public about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. Report cards communicate the findings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a continuing and nationally representative measure of achievement in various subjects over time. The 2008 NAEP Arts Assessment measured students' knowledge and skills in the arts by asking them to observe, describe, analyze, and evaluate existing works of music and visual art and to create original works of visual art. A nationally representative sample of 7,900 eighth-grade students from 260 public and private schools participated in the 2008 arts assessment. Approximately one-half of these students were assessed in music, and the other half were assessed in visual arts. This paper presents highlights of the 2008 NAEP Arts Assessment. (Contains 1 footnote.) [For the full report, "The Nation's Report Card: Arts 2008--Music & Visual Arts. National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grade 8. NCES 2009-488," see ED505664.]