NAEP Technical DocumentationEconomics Assessment Estimation Variables for 2012

Variables used in the population-structure model for the economics 2012 assessment are listed and described below. Economics was assessed only at grade 12 in 2012.   

Main effects used in the population-structure model:

• Hispanic – This variable has three levels: yes, no, or missing.

• Race variables (from the student background questionnaire) – There are five variables: White, Black or African American, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander. These variables are marked as either “yes” or “missing.” Students are allowed to fill in more than one oval and, therefore, each one is a separate background variable.

• DSEX – School reported gender. This variable has two levels: male or female.

• DRACE10 – School reported race. This variable has eight levels: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, More than one race, or missing.

• SRACE10 – School reported race. This variable has eight levels: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, More than one race, or missing.

• SCHTYPE – Type of school. This variable has six levels: public, private, Catholic, Bureau of Indian Education, Department of Defense, and missing.

• CENSREG – Regions as defined by the Census Bureau. This variable has seven levels: Northeast, Midwest, South, West, DoDEA International, Territory, and missing.

• REGIONS – Regions as defined by NAEP. This variable has six levels: Northeast, Southeast, Central, West, DoDDS, and missing.

• UTOL4 – Type of location. This variable has five levels: city, suburb, town, rural, and missing.

• PARED – Parents education level. It has six levels: did not graduate from high school, high school graduate, some education after high school, college graduate, unknown, and missing.

• SLUNCH1 – School reported free or reduced-price school lunch. This variable has four levels: eligible, not eligible, not available, and missing.

• IEP – School-reported student with disability. This variable has three levels: yes, no, and missing.

• ELL3 – School-reported English language learner. This variable has four levels: yes, no, formerly, and missing.

• ACCOM2 – Accommodations. This variable has three levels: accommodated, not accommodated, and missing.

.Main effects not used in interactions:

• UTOL12 – Type of location. This variable has 13 levels: LrgCity, MidCity, SmlCity, LrgSubrb, MidSubrb, SmlSubrb, FrgTown, DistTown, RmtTown, FrgRural, DistRural, RmtRural, and missing.

• SLUNCH – School lunch. This variable has seven levels: NotEll, Red, Free, NoInfo, Refusal, NotPart, and missing.

• 12 Additional Accommodations Variables – Each of these variables BilBook, BilDict, LargPrint, ExtTime, ReadAloud, SmallGrp, OneOnOne, Scrib/PC, Other, Breaks, Magnif, StaffAdmin are scored as Yes/missing.

• CENSDIV – Census division. This variable has 11 levels: NewEngla, Midatl, Eastnoce, Westnoce, Southatl, Eastsoce, Westsoce, Mountain, Pacific, DoDEA International, and missing.

• PCTBLKC – Percentage of Black students. This variable has six levels: 0, 1–5, 6–25, 26–50, 51+, and missing.

• PCTHSPC – Percentage of Hispanic students. This variable has six levels: 0, 1–5, 6–25, 26–50, 51+, and missing.

• PCTASNC – Percentage of Asian students. This variable has six levels: 0, 1–5, 6–25, 26–50, 51+, and missing.

• PCTINDC – Percentage of American Indian students. This variable has six levels: 0, 1–5, 6–25, 26–50, 51+, and missing.

Two-way interactions included in the population-structure model: All main effects listed above were used to examine two-way interactions with the exception of Hispanic x Hispanic and CENSREG x REGION. (Note: Hispanic x Hispanic interaction means that Hispanic [yes, no, or missing] is not crossed with Hispanic from DRACEM or SDRACEM.)

Three-way interactions included in the population-structure model: Hispanic x 5 race variables x (each of the) main effects listed above

Variables obtained from student questionnaire:

• Type of Hispanic: Mexican
• Type of Hispanic: Puerto Rican
• Type of Hispanic: Cuban
• Type of Hispanic: Other
• Family get newspaper
• Family get magazines
• Books in home
• Computer in home
• Encyclopedia in home
• How many pages read in school and for homework
• How much time spent on homework
• Talk about studies at home
• How many days absent
• How much television do you watch
• How far in school did your mother go 
• How far in school did your father go 
• Language other than English spoken in home
• Which describes high school program 
• How often do you read for fun (reading only)
• How often do you tell a friend about a good book (reading only)

Economics student questionnaire, by grade: 2012 ( PDF)

Grade	Questionnaire
12	(179K PDF)
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Economics Assessment, 2012.

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