Expanding the New Design


Book Description

This report supplies details of the design and data analysis of the 1986 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to allow the reader to judge the utility of the design, data quality, reasonableness of assumptions, appropriateness of data analyses, and generalizability of inferences made from the data. After an introduction by A. E. Beaton, the following reports are included: (1) "Overview of Part I: The Design and Implementation of the 1986 NAEP" (A. E. Beaton); (2) "Developing the 1986 National Assessment Objectives, Items, and Background Questions" (I. V. S. Mullis, W. MacDonald, and N. A. Mead); (3) "Sample Design" (M. H. Hansen, K. Rust, and J. Burke); (4) "Instrument and Item Information" (J. R. Johnson); (5) "Field Administration" (N. Caldwell and R. Slobasky); (6) "Materials Processing and Database Creation" (J. L. Barone); (7) "Processing Assessment Materials" (A. M. Rogers and N. A. Norris); (8) "Professional Scoring" (A. Campbell); (9) "Data Transcription Systems" (A. M. Rogers); (10) "Editing Data" (A. M. Rogers); (11) "Quality Control of Data Entry" (J. J. Ferris); (12) "Database Creation" (A. M. Rogers); (13) "Public-Use Data Tape Construction" (A. M. Rogers); (14) "Overview of Part II: The Analysis of the 1986 NAEP" (A. E. Beaton); (15) "Scaling Procedures" (R. J. Mislevy); (16) "Reading Data Analysis" (R. Zwick); (17) "Mathematics Data Analysis" (E. G. Johnson); (18) "Science Data Analysis" (K. Yamamoto); (19) "Computer Competence Data Analysis" (N. A. Mead); (20) "History and Literature Data Analysis" (R. Zwick); (21) "Weighting Procedures and Variance Estimation" (E. G. Johnson, J. Burke, J. Braden, M. H. Hansen, J. A. Lago, and B. J. Tepping); and (22) "Statistical Summary of the 1986 NAEP Sample and Estimates of the Proficiencies of American Students" (A. E. Beaton, D. S. Freund, B. A. Kaplan, and M. A. Narcowich). A total of 169 tables and 8 figures illustrate the text. Six appendixes with 116 additional tables provide supplemental information about the research methodology. (Contains 60 references.) (SLD)










Grading the Nation's Report Card


Book Description

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the nation's report card, has chronicled students' academic achievement in America for over a quarter of a century. It has been a valued source of information about students' performance, providing the best available trend data on the academic achievement of elementary, middle, and secondary school students in key subject areas. NAEP's prominence and the important need for stable and accurate measures of academic achievement call for evaluation of the program and an analysis of the extent to which its results are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public. This volume of papers considers the use and application of NAEP. It provides technical background to the recently published book, Grading the Nation's Report Card: Evaluating NAEP and Transforming the Assessment of Educational Progress (NRC, 1999), with papers on four key topics: NAEP's assessment development, content validity, design and use, and more broadly, the design of education indicator systems.







Grading the Nation's Report Card


Book Description

Since the late 1960s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)â€"the nation's report cardâ€"has been the only continuing measure of student achievement in key subject areas. Increasingly, educators and policymakers have expected NAEP to serve as a lever for education reform and many other purposes beyond its original role. Grading the Nation's Report Card examines ways NAEP can be strengthened to provide more informative portrayals of student achievement and the school and system factors that influence it. The committee offers specific recommendations and strategies for improving NAEP's effectiveness and utility, including: Linking achievement data to other education indicators. Streamlining data collection and other aspects of its design. Including students with disabilities and English-language learners. Revamping the process by which achievement levels are set. The book explores how to improve NAEP framework documentsâ€"which identify knowledge and skills to be assessedâ€"with a clearer eye toward the inferences that will be drawn from the results. What should the nation expect from NAEP? What should NAEP do to meet these expectations? This book provides a blueprint for a new paradigm, important to education policymakers, professors, and students, as well as school administrators and teachers, and education advocates.




The Nation's Report Card


Book Description




Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce


Book Description

Skilled technical occupationsâ€"defined as occupations that require a high level of knowledge in a technical domain but do not require a bachelor's degree for entryâ€"are a key component of the U.S. economy. In response to globalization and advances in science and technology, American firms are demanding workers with greater proficiency in literacy and numeracy, as well as strong interpersonal, technical, and problem-solving skills. However, employer surveys and industry and government reports have raised concerns that the nation may not have an adequate supply of skilled technical workers to achieve its competitiveness and economic growth objectives. In response to the broader need for policy information and advice, Building America's Skilled Technical Workforce examines the coverage, effectiveness, flexibility, and coordination of the policies and various programs that prepare Americans for skilled technical jobs. This report provides action-oriented recommendations for improving the American system of technical education, training, and certification.