Introduction to the 2021 NAEP Monthly School Survey

• In Event: 2021 NAEP Monthly School Survey: Learning From U.S. Schools on Their Response to Pandemic

Abstract

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and its National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) launched the Monthly School Surveys (MSS) in February of 2021 as a component of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The surveys were in response to President Biden’s Executive Order on Supporting the Reopening and Continuing Operation of Schools and Early Childhood Education Providers. This paper will describe the objective of the survey, as well as the survey itself.

This data collection provided the status of in-person learning in grades 4 and 8, disaggregated by student demographics. Results are available for the nation and participating states and large urban districts in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA), provided NCES’ reporting standards were met. The results of the survey were published monthly and available in an interactive online dashboard (https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/default.aspx), which also enables users to download data in simple, flat files. The dashboard provides information related to the following questions:
1. To what degree did schools offer remote only, hybrid, or full-time in-person instruction?
2. What was the proportion of students overall and by various student groups enrolled in each instructional mode?
3. What was the attendance rate for each instructional mode by various student groups?
4. What type of hybrid model was offered?
5. On average, how many days were students offered in-person instruction under the hybrid instructional mode?
6. How many hours of synchronous (i.e., live) instruction did students receive on average daily under the remote learning mode?
7. Which student groups received priority for in-person instruction?
8. What percentage of teachers have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine?

These metrics are intended to provide stakeholders with a clear portrait of equity in the type, frequency, and amount of instruction students received monthly across the nation, and in states and participating districts. As monthly data were collected, stakeholders were able to track progress.

The sampled schools were originally selected to conduct the 2021 NAEP assessment in mathematics and reading. Thus, the goal in selecting these samples was to ensure that representative samples of students would be assessed. Although intended for use in a program of student assessments, these samples were repurposed for the NAEP School Survey. Using the existing sample of schools made it possible to recruit and survey the schools that were representative of the nation, states, and urban districts.

The sampled schools were also asked to complete the typical NAEP school and teacher questionnaires, via online survey questionnaires. Collecting this information allows NCES to capture data about educational experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak and the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years. The NAEP program will be able to examine the data collected from both surveys in order to provide a fuller picture of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the educational system in the United States, and if there are patterns and inequities across different subgroups.

Authors

• Gina Broxterman, National Center for Education Statistics

• Daniel McGrath, National Center for Education Statistics

• James Deaton, National Center for Education Statistics

• Jonas Bertling, Educational Testing Service

• Amy R. Dresher, Educational Testing Service