Are NAEP Mathematics Test State Rankings Influenced by Curriculum Content Differences?

• In Event: 61.075 - NAEP Studies SIG Paper Session: NAEP's Role in Educational Achievement

Abstract

State NAEP mean score rankings are viewed by policymakers as an indicator of the relative quality of states’ public school systems. The state rank order in Mathematics has been characterized as reflecting differences in state curriculum content and average pre-schooling academic ability or home resources, as well as differences in instructional quality. These explanations for the comparative NAEP results have considerably different implications for state education policy. Applying generalized linear models to student assessment, teacher survey and curricular content analysis data, I will determine the extent to which state mean test scores, and through them the observed rank order, are adjusted by accounting for observed variation in mathematics curriculum content emphasis.

Author

• Anne Traynor, Purdue University