NAEP Technical DocumentationNumber of Items in Each Subject Area Scale

For each subject area, the total number of items and the number of items in each subject area scale are provided for each grade level. These statistics are displayed for both univariate scales and subscales, when the separate scaling exists for the subject. Item counts are available for each scale as defined in the final Item Response Theory (IRT) scales, as well as prior to the IRT scaling. The number of items may change between before scaling and after scaling because items could be dropped during the scaling process.

Starting in 2009, tables are displayed for the scaling results in science which contain both univariate scaling results and scaling results based on the three science content areas: Earth and Space Sciences, Physical Science, and Life Science.

Starting in 2014, tables are displayed for the scaling results in technology and engineering literacy (TEL) which contain both univariate scaling results and scaling results for the three TEL content areas (Technology and Society, Design and Systems, and Information and Communication Technology) and the three TEL practices (Understanding Technological Principles, Developing Solutions and Achieving Goals, and Communicating and Collaborating).

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