NAEP Update
Schools in the NAEP 2022 sample have been notified. Please continue to check
MyNAEP for school tasks and establish a routine to make sure all steps are completed in time for your assessment date. Having tasks completed on time will ensure a smooth administration cycle for all Arizona schools in 2022.
NAEP data is used in a variety of ways. If your school was selected, please do speak with the students involved in the sample. They are providing valuable information for state and national policies. It helps us determine what students know and can do. It provides a comparison to Arizona assessments, studies demographics, tracks students from diverse backgrounds, and compares achievement levels through time. Please discuss with your students the service they are providing and why we are testing them. It is not just another test. They are representing Arizona.
I was a teacher and worked as a school administrator prior to working for ADE. It is with that lens I wanted to take a moment to share with our education community some valuable insights I have gained while working with AZELLA, NAEP, Assessments, and Statisticians. NAEP is the gold standard of assessments. Part of achieving that reputation is working with statisticians and following statistically sound assessment practices. I have found that ADE and NAEP follow the exact same set of procedures and guidelines when developing and administering assessments. Frequently I receive questions from the field, and they may not be thinking like a psychometrician. Some examples are:
- Why was my school picked for NAEP again? Answer: NAEP draws a sample of students to represent Arizona. Usually, I receive this question from schools with large enrollments or unique demographics. When you ask this question from a statistical standpoint knowing that NAEP is drawing a sample (both to represent Arizona and the country as a whole), we flip the question around and say why wouldn't school X be in the sample every year. We need to hear from that demographic or large student body in the sample.
- Why do we have to do things this way? Answer: Part of being the gold standard is making sure that Assessment coordinators being flown into Alaska or completing an assessment in New York City all were administered the test in the same fashion, with the same data collected, the exact same way with as little variances as possible.
- Why this year? Don't you know we did hybrid/online instruction last year and the students won't do well? Answer: What better time to assess and prove why educators are so valuable? This is a unique time in history, and we need to collect this data and add it to the historical accounts. NAEP is the gold standard through time and the only test around that can provide results on a national scale. It will also provide Arizona with state-level data on our learners and be another tool without the pressure of being used for accountability.
