Private School Participation Challenges

• In Event: Challenges and Experiences of NAEP Across School Types and Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Without private school participation, NAEP could not truly claim to be The Nation’s Report Card, as private schools represent about a quarter of all schools in the U.S. and educate about 9% of U.S. students. There are persistent challenges, however, in recruiting private schools to participate in NAEP. NAEP faces struggling school response rates across grades and subjects. For NAEP mathematics and reading assessments, school response rates dropped from 74% in 2011 to 53% in 2019 for grade 4 students, and from 74% to 50% for grade 8 students. Private school results are only reported when minimum benchmarks are met; without meeting these benchmarks, achievement data and contextual insights for private schools—as exemplified by other sections of this paper—will not be available in future administrations of NAEP.

Data have regularly been collected to understand why private schools refuse to participate. Qualitative research was most recently conducted with private school educators from December 2019 to April 2020 to better understand the barriers and benefits of participating in NAEP. This research included two online focus groups with private school administrators (i.e., private school principals and heads of school) and two separate online focus groups with private school teachers. The key findings from the focus groups are bulleted below, organized by the following major research areas:
• General Perceptions of NAEP: Neither private school administrators nor teachers were commonly aware of the program. Private school administrators and teachers had a variety of questions about NAEP, including questions related to sampling, incentives, and administration logistics. Private school administrators and teachers were also mixed about whether or not NAEP has value for education in general and for private schools specifically.
• Benefits and Barriers for Participation in NAEP: While private school administrators had mixed reactions when asked if they would have their school participate in NAEP, all administrators shared they would need more information to make their decision. Private school teachers raised several questions and concerns about participating in NAEP, ranging from administration logistics to incentives. Private school administrators and teachers both found the digital format of NAEP to be helpful and testing duration reasonable. Private school administrators thought that endorsements from organizations they believe to be credible would be valuable when deciding whether or not to participate in NAEP; however, teachers did not think endorsements would impact their school’s decision.
• Statement About Private Schools and NAEP: Private school administrators and teachers were asked for their reactions to nine statements about private schools and NAEP. Administrators and teachers largely responded positively to statements that used inclusive language, such as “private school students have an important role in representing thousands of other private school students” and “NAEP gives private schools a voice”. They also liked a statement that highlighted private school students outperform their public-school peers. Participants were skeptical of a statement that equated participation in NAEP with practicing good citizenship.

The NAEP program is exploring several enhancements to its private school outreach based on these key findings, including enhancements related to recruitment strategy and messaging.

Author

• Cailin Jason, Hager Sharp