Appendix D and E NAEP System Clearance 2014-2016 Sample Parent and School Coordinator Materials

National Center for Education Statistics

National Assessment of Educational Progress

Appendix D

Sample Parental Notification Letter

Request for System Clearance for

NAEP Assessments for 2014-2016

OMB# 1850-0790 v.36

Appendix D: Sample Parent/Guardian Notification Letter

NAEP (NAEP Assessment Year) PARENT/GUARDIAN NOTIFICATION LETTER

(School Letterhead)

(Insert Date Here)

Dear Parent or Guardian:

We are pleased to tell you that (school name) has been selected to represent schools across our state and the nation by participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NAEP is given by the National Center for Education Statistics within the U.S. Department of Education and tells us what our nation’s students know and can do in key subject areas. It is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment and has been providing valid and reliable data on student performance since 1969.

The results of NAEP are published in a report called The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.

In our school, the NAEP assessment will be given on (date) in (subject). Your child (may be/has been) selected to take the assessment. In addition to subject area questions, students will be asked some questions about themselves and their educational experience. You can access student and sample assessment questions at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/.

It will take about (assessment time) minutes for most students to complete NAEP. The results are completely confidential (in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection provisions of Title V, Subtitle A, Public Law 107-347), and the information provided will be used for statistical purposes only. Your child’s grades will not be affected. Your child may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish the assessment, and may skip any test question. While NAEP is voluntary, we depend on student participation to provide an accurate measure of student achievement that will inform improvements in education. Your child will represent many other students, so participation is very important. However, if you do not want your child to participate, please notify me in writing by (date).

There is no need to study in preparation for NAEP. We do ask parents to encourage their children to do their best and to have them get plenty of rest the night before the assessment.

If you would like to have additional information about NAEP, please visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard. If you have questions or would like to review a booklet that includes sample subject area and student questions, please contact me at (telephone number) or via e-mail at (e-mail address).

We are excited that our school will be participating in NAEP, and we are pleased that your child (may be/has been) selected. We know that (school name)'s students will help us show what (state name)’s students know and can do.

Sincerely,

School Principal

National Center for Education Statistics

National Assessment of Educational Progress

Appendix E

Sample School Coordinator Responsibilities

Request for System Clearance for

NAEP Assessments for 2014-2016

OMB# 1850-0790 v.36

Appendix E: Sample Description of School Coordinator Responsibilities

NAEP (NAEP Assessment Year) School Coordinator Responsibilities

As the school coordinator, you are the liaison for all NAEP assessment activities in your school.

In the fall, you will be responsible for:

Registering for the MySchool website.

MySchool is used to collect information about your school and provide you with documents that you can download and customize throughout the NAEP assessment process. Multiple school staff may register to access the site. To register for MySchool, go to www.mynaep.com and complete the form using the registration ID provided by your NAEP State or Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) Coordinator.

Completing and submitting school information.

Click on “Provide School Information” on MySchool to enter and submit information about your school so that materials can be prepared for the assessment.

If requested, providing the NAEP State or TUDA Coordinator with a list of <selected> grade students.

NAEP requires a complete list of students in the selected grade in order to select a random sample of students to participate in the assessment. This list provides demographic information about students who will be assessed. It is usually submitted electronically and may be prepared by the school, district, or state. Your NAEP State or TUDA Coordinator will inform you if you need to provide this list. Student names will always be kept confidential and individual student responses or scores are never reported.

Before the assessment date, you will be responsible for:

Preparing for the assessment.

Numerous activities need to be completed early in January to ensure a successful assessment.

• Identify teachers who teach the assessed subjects to your <selected>-grade students.

• Arrange logistics for the assessment.

• Review the instructions for distributing and completing the worksheets for students identified as English language learners and/or students with disabilities, and distribute them to the staff person(s) most knowledgeable about how these students are tested on your state assessment.

Informing parents/guardians.

By law, parents/guardians of children selected to participate in NAEP must be informed prior to administration of the assessment that their child has been selected for the assessment, may be excused from participation for any reason, is not required to finish the assessment, and is not required to answer all test questions. Your NAEP State or TUDA Coordinator will provide a Sample Parent/Guardian Notification Letter and additional information about how this requirement should be fulfilled. These details, as well as electronic copies of the letter, will be provided through MySchool. Parent notification should be completed prior to the pre-assessment visit. Parents may also visit http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/parents/ to find out more about NAEP.

Meeting with the NAEP staff during the scheduled pre-assessment visit.

In late January, you will meet with the NAEP representative to go over information related to the NAEP administration. During the meeting, you will review the list of selected students to verify that their demographic information is accurate and complete. Details for the assessment day will be finalized, such as which students will require accommodations, how NAEP will be administered, the time and locations of the assessment, and how students and teachers will be notified. The NAEP representative will also verify that parents have been notified and will collect a copy of the parent notification letter during this visit.

Promoting the importance of NAEP with school staff.

Teachers are essential for motivating students to do their best on NAEP. The following are some suggestions on how to gain teacher support:

• Show the 5-minute NAEP video, Introducing NAEP to Teachers, at a faculty meeting. This video can be accessed at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/videos/naep4th8th.asp.

• Inform teachers that released NAEP questions and responses, which they can use in their classroom, are accessible on the NAEP Questions Tool at http://nces.ed.gov/
  nationsreportcard/itmrlsx/.

Promoting the importance of NAEP with students.

Students who are selected for NAEP will represent students across the nation, so it is vital that these <selected grade>-graders participate and do their best. The following are some suggestions on how to encourage students to do their best:

• Speak with participating students prior to assessment day. Let them know why NAEP is important.

• Consider ways to thank students for their participation.

• Inform students that they can find past NAEP results by visiting The Nation’s Report Card website, http://nationsreportcard.gov/.

• Inform students that individual results are not released to the public and that NAEP only takes 90–120 minutes to complete.

On the assessment date, you will be responsible for:

Ensuring that students attend the session.

Prior to the assessment start time, you will need to be available to ensure that students attend. You are encouraged to remain in the room during the assessment. NAEP staff will bring all assessment materials to the school and will conduct the session(s). It is very important that attendance rates be as high as possible to avoid the need for makeup sessions. If attendance of sampled students is less than 90 percent, a makeup session will be needed, and the NAEP representative will schedule another date to administer the assessment to the students who were absent.

Thank you in advance for your help preparing for this important assessment!

NAEP 2014-2016 System Clearance: Appendix D page D-2