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NAEP Technical Documentation Development of Initial Student Nonresponse Cells for the 2009 Assessment
Initial student nonresponse cells are generally created within each sample as defined by grade, school type (public, private), and assessment subject. However, when subjects are administered together by way of spiraling, the initial student nonresponse cells are created across the subjects in the same spiral. The rationale behind this decision is that spiraled subjects are in the same schools and the likelihood of whether an eligible student participates in an assessment is more related to its school than the subject of the assessment booklet. In NAEP 2009, the reading, mathematics, and science assessments were spiraled together, but science HOT and science ICT were not spiraled with any other subject. The initial student nonresponse cells for the various 2009 NAEP samples are described below.
Nonresponse adjustment procedures are not applied to excluded students because they are not required to complete an assessment.
Public School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grades 4 and 8
The initial student nonresponse cells for these samples were defined within grade, jurisdiction, and Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) district using the following nesting cell structure:
- students with disabilities (SD)/English language learners (ELL) by subject;
- school nonresponse cell;
- age1 (classed into "older" student and "modal age or younger" student);
- gender; and
- race/ethnicity.
The highest level variable in the cell structure separates students who were classified either as having disabilities (SD) or as English language learners (ELL) from those who are neither, since SD or ELL students tend to score lower on assessment tests than non-SD/non-ELL students. In addition, the students in the SD or ELL are further broken down by subject, since rules for excluding students from the assessment differ by subject. Non-SD and non-ELL students are not broken down by subject, since the exclusion rules do not apply to them.
Public School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grade 12
The initial weighting cells were formed within state for the state component and nationally for the national component using the following cell structure:
- SD/ELL by subject;
- school nonresponse cell;
- age1 (classed into "older" student and "modal age or younger" student);
- gender; and
- race/ethnicity.
Private School Samples for Reading, Mathematics, and Science at Grades 4, 8, and 12
The initial weighting cells for these private school samples were formed hierarchically within grade as follows:
- SD/ELL;
- school nonresponse cell;
- age1 (classed into "older" student and "modal age or younger" student);
- gender; and
- race/ethnicity.
Although exclusion rules differ by subject, there were not enough SD or ELL private school students to break out by subject as was done for the public schools.
Public School Samples for Science HOT and Science ICT at Grades 4, 8, and 12
The initial weighting cells for these samples were formed hierarchically within grade using the following cell structure:
- SD/ELL;
- school nonresponse cell;
- age1 (classed into "older" student and "modal age or younger" student);
- gender; and
- race/ethnicity.
Private School Samples for Science HOT and Science ICT at Grades 4, 8, and 12
The initial weighting cells for these samples were formed hierarchically within grade using the following cell structure:
- SD/ELL;
- school nonresponse cell;
- age1 (classed into "older" student and "modal age or younger" student);
- gender; and
- race/ethnicity.
1 Older students are those born before October 1, 1998, for grade 4; October 1, 1994, for grade 8; and October 1, 1990, for grade 12.
Last updated 06 June 2014 (AN)