National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP): 2013 Administration

1. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP):2013 Administration Department of Education & Early Development September 2012, District Test Coordinator Training

2. General Overview of NAEP • NAEP has been in existence since 1969; assesses many subjects (civics, history, science, writing, etc.) • Participation for states in reading and mathematics became mandatory under NCLB so that NAEP would act as the common metric of student performance among states • NAEP has been administered every other year in Alaska in reading and mathematics since 2003 • Important policy tool; often called “the gold standard of assessment” • High-level view, no school or student results, sample of schools and students in state (grades 4, 8, and 12—mostly 4 and 8 in Alaska) • NAEP hires staff to go to schools to administer the NAEP

3. NAEP 2013 Administration • Subjects will only be reading and mathematics (2011 included grade 8 science) • Superintendents and DTCs were given the school sample in May (most districts in Alaska participate) • Dates were sent to DTCs in June (Jan. 28-March 8) • NAEP administration process for DTCs is streamlined for 2013 • National Indian Education Study (NIES) NOT in the 2013 administration—will be part of 2015

4. DTC NAEP Responsibility • Distribute NAEP MySchool registration ids to schools • Emphasize that registration for MySchool is required • NAEP participation is required as part of NCLB; once school registers for MySchool, school status is shown as participating in NAEP database

5. NAEP MySchool Registration • Will send registration ids to DTCs next week • Will also send principal letter and MySchool registration instructions • Key part of MySchool registration is identifying NAEP school coordinator

6. MySchool Registration Screen Registration ID needed for initial login at mynaep.com

7. Introduction Points Out Provide School Information Link Will see name of school Provide School Information link

8. Form Is Quite Simple—Two Tabs First tab asks for review of addresses, principal information and school coordinator information

9. Second Tab Asks for Current Enrollment School Characteristics: date schools start after Jan. 1 and student enrollment

10. Importance of School Coordinator From the principal letter: Identification of a school coordinator who will serve as the liaison for all NAEP activities in your school. The school coordinator should be familiar with how students in the school participate in statewide assessments. (A NAEP representative who will be responsible for administering the assessment will contact the NAEP school coordinator several weeks prior to the assessment. The representative will discuss assessment details, including accommodations that may be necessary to assess students with disabilities and English language learners.)

11. So for NAEP 2013 . . . • DTC responsibility is to distribute the MySchool registration ids along with principal letter and MySchool registration tip sheet; emphasize importance of completing the School Information Form found at MySchool • Will ask for assistance if schools do not register; deadline will be October 5, 2012

12. Field Staff Administer NAEP • NAEP is part of NCES; Westat, a private research company, has the contract to administer the NAEP • Westat hires field staff to work with schools and administer the NAEP • The NAEP Assessment Coordinator (AC) works with the school coordinator • Assessment administrators (AAs) come to the school on the day of assessment to give the NAEP

13. School Coordinator Role • Box of NAEP material shipped to schools in January • ACs will schedule visits with the School Coordinator (by phone for remotes sites) to go over material in box • Key parts of these visits are determining location and time of NAEP and planning for accommodations • Dates for remote sites

14. Planning for Accommodations • Number of accommodated sessions continue to rise • Westat commits to have enough staff to do all regular sessions at one time • Accommodated sessions usually happen after regular sessions • School staff can help with accommodated sessions • Sometimes IEPs call for familiar staff members to give an assessment • Staff helping out can make administration time shorter

15. Day of Assessment • AC arrives with AAs on day of assessment; often times retired teachers • They meet at the arranged location in the school • Field staff go to the scheduled rooms to administer the NAEP—total student time is about 70 minutes; the test is timed (50 minutes) • Field staff bring all the assessment materials and leave with all the assessment materials • Nothing that links a student with any test materials leaves the building

16. Sample Sizes • If grade 4 has more than 90 students, a sample will be selected • If grade 8 has more than 70 students, a sample will be selected • Grade 4 number is larger in attempt to keep classrooms intact • Will be communicating with school coordinators about sample sizes

17. To Sum Up . . . • After completion of School Information Forms, NAEP communication is with school coordinators • MySchool page will be a resource schools coordinators can use to find information about NAEP (AC email, assessment date, parent notification letter, etc.)

18. A Few Words on Future of NAEP • Most states currently are members of PARCC or SMARTER BALANCE • NCES convened expert panel on future of NAEP • If you want to measure change, don’t change your measure • NAEP will continue to serve an important tool as low-stakes audit tool • More linking to international benchmarks beneficial • NAEP can do important R&D for assessment

19. Contact Information http://www.eed.state.ak.us/tls/assessment/naep.html Jeanne.Foy@alaska.gov 907-465-8729