NAEP Technical Documentation Development of Final School Nonresponse Cells for the 2009 Assessment

Limits were placed on the magnitude of cell sizes and adjustment factors to prevent unstable nonresponse adjustments and unacceptably large nonresponse factors. All initial weighting cells with fewer than six cooperating schools or adjustment factors greater than 3.0 for the full sample weight were collapsed with suitable adjacent cells. Simultaneously, all initial weighting cells for any replicate with fewer than four cooperating schools or adjustment factors greater than the maximum of 3.0 or two times the full sample nonresponse adjustment factor were collapsed with suitable adjacent cells. Initial weighting cells were generally collapsed in reverse order of the cell structure; that is, starting at the bottom of the nesting structure and working up towards the top level of the nesting structure.

Public School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grades 4 and 8

For the public school samples at grades 4 and 8, cells with the most similar race/ethnicity classification within a given jurisdiction/Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) district and urbanicity (urban-centric locale) stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required after all levels of race/ethnicity strata were collapsed, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined next. Cells were never collapsed across jurisdiction or TUDA district.

Public School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grade 12

For the state-based samples at grade 12, cells with the most similar race/ethnicity classification within a given state and urbanicity (urban-centric locale) stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required after all levels of race/ethnicity classification were collapsed, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined next. Cells were never collapsed across state.

For the national public school sample at grade 12, race/ethnicity classification cells within a given census division stratum and urbanicity stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required after all levels of race/ethnicity classification were collapsed, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined. Any further collapsing occurred across census division strata but never across census region.

Private School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grades 4, 8, and 12

For the private school samples, cells with the most similar race/ethnicity classification within a given affiliation, census division, and urbanicity stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required after all levels of race/ethnicity strata were collapsed, cells with the most similar urbanicity classification were combined. Any further collapsing occurred across census division strata but never across affiliation.

Public School Samples for Science HOT and Science ICT at Grades 4, 8, and 12

For the public school samples, cells with the most similar urbanicity within a given census region were collapsed. No further collapsing occurred after all levels of urbanicity strata were collapsed. That is, collapsing never occurred across census region.

Private School Samples for Science HOT and Science ICT at Grades 4, 8, and 12

For the private school samples, if collapsing was necessary, all census region cells within a given affiliation were collapsed. However, collapsing never occurred across affiliation.

Last updated 02 August 2010 (JL)

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