What contextual background data does NAEP provide?
In addition to assessing subject area knowledge and abilities, NAEP collects information from participating students, teachers, and principals about contextual or background variables that are related to student achievement. When developing the questionnaires used to gather this information, NAEP ensures that the questions do not infringe on respondents’ privacy, that they are grounded in current educational research, and that the answers can provide information relevant to the discussions about educational reform. The questionnaires appear in separately timed blocks of questions in the assessment booklets, such as the student background questionnaires, or, as in the case of questionnaires for the teachers, schools, and students with disabilities or who are classified as English language learners, they are printed separately.
