National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
NAEP Contractors
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) contracts with various organizations to develop, carry out, and analyze the results of NAEP. These contractors, selected by NCES, are responsible for the core activities of NAEP, such as design, sampling, data collection, printing and scoring, analysis, and reporting. The contractors who carry out the core NAEP activities are referred to as the “NAEP Alliance.” There are other companies that just serve as NAEP contractors. NCES also awards funding to each State Education Agency to support a fulltime NAEP State Coordinator (NSC) in each state.
NSCs:
serve as the liaison between the State Education Agency and NAEP
review NAEP assessment items and processes as the state’s representative
oversee the NAEP administration in their state
analyze and report NAEP data
coordinate the use of NAEP results for policy and program planning
The current members of the NAEP Alliance(PDF, 42KB) are Westat, Educational Testing Service (ETS), Pearson Educational Measurement (Pearson), and Fulcrum IT. Although American Institutes for Research (AIR), Hager Sharp, and HumRRO are not members of the Alliance, they do serve as contractors.
NAEP Alliance Contractors
Westat:
responsible for Sampling and Data Collection (SDC)
selects representative samples of schools and students
prepares sample weights for NAEP assessments
administers assessments and collects data from pilot and field tests, operational assessments, and special studies
ships completed assessment materials to the scoring sites
directs the NAEP State Service Center (NSSC)
develops and delivers technical and non-technical assistance and training for the NSCs and NAEP TUDA Coordinators through the NSSC
responds to information requests from NSCs and NTCs regarding NAEP
maintains a NAEP Information Center
ETS:
serves as the Design, Analysis, and Reporting (DAR) Contractor
serves as the Alliance Coordination contractor
serves as the item development contractor
designs operational assessments, pilot and field tests, and special studies
analyzes data to ensure the reporting of valid results
proposes and studies psychometric and statistical analyses compatible with previous NAEP methodologies
determines the data needed to meet the goals for reporting
prepares national and selected state NAEP reports
provides the tools NSCs use to analyze NAEP data and prepare state reports
Pearson Educational Measurement (Pearson):
responsible for Material Preparation, Distribution, and Scoring (MDS)
prepares and packages the assessment and auxiliary materials
distributes assessment booklets and materials to the test administrators for each school
develops training and scoring materials
scores all assessments
Fulcrum IT
responsible for Web Operations and Maintenance (WOM)
acquires, develops, implements, and supports Internet-related applications and services for NAEP and NAEP contractors
identifies and deploys emerging technologies and new products to improve NAEP's offerings
ensures timely services and release of quality products using web technologies
oversees the public NAEP website, hosts the NAEP Network website, and develops and hosts an information management system for NAEP contractors
supports and provides access to web-based analysis tools that NSCs use to prepare state-specific analyses and reports
designs and maintains systems for computer-based assessments
NAEP Contractors
American Institutes for Research (AIR):
serves as Item Developer (ID) in conjunction with ETS
develops NAEP background variables, cognitive items, and scoring rubrics
assists in scoring and training of scorers
conducts small-scale pilot tests of the items and rubrics
participates in reviews of items
performs the duties of State Analysis (SA)
monitors academic progress and the performance trends of states and their identified subgroups
portrays patterns of achievement gaps between the subgroups on NAEP state assessments
explains the NAEP state results
identifies patterns of performance that could affect NAEP assessments in states/jurisdictions
Hager Sharp:
responsible for Publications, Dissemination, and Outreach Support
creates products to promote public awareness of NAEP and to facilitate the administration of NAEP
designs and produces a booth to display materials and showcase NAEP
provides staffing of booths for two major conferences per year
creates development and dissemination plans for NAEP reports, special studies, and secondary analysis grants
issues press releases, handles data release events, and maintains relationships with the press
provides support on the NAEP State Service Center, State Coordinator, and Sampling and Data Collection contracts
Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO):
handles NAEP Quality Assurance (QA)
monitors overall quality assurance amongst all NAEP contractors
monitors and identifies potential technical and operational errors
Contact
The NAEP contact for the state
of Florida is Michele Sonnenfeld. She can be contacted by email at
or by telephone at 850-245-0513.
Printer Friendly
Custom Search
