Noncognitive Constructs and Academic Outcomes: Using NAEP Data to Understand Differences in Achievement

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in understanding the roles that noncognitive constructs play in academic outcomes. Research supports the need to consider the relationships between noncognitive constructs and achievement. NAEP data can be used to examine the relations between noncognitive factors, academic progress, and differences in academic achievement, provide insights into the context of education outcomes, and develop ways to improve education in the nation. Presenters in this symposium examine how noncognitive constructs vary across grade levels, subjects, and student characteristics; the distribution of noncognitive constructs and the relationship between noncognitive constructs and achievement levels; and how teacher perceptions relate to noncognitive constructs and mathematics achievement. Discussions about achievement differences in student subgroups are included.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Large-Scale Assessment

Chair

• Judy H. Tang, Westat

Papers

• How Noncognitive Constructs Perform Across Grades and Subjects and Vary by Student Subgroup - Alison Filbey, American Institutes for Research; Grace Ji Cheng, American Institutes for Research; B. Jasmine Park, American Institutes for Research; Jennifer Mazzella

• Gender and Racial Differences in Noncognitive Constructs and Their Relationships With NAEP Performance - Grace Ji Cheng, American Institutes for Research; Alison Filbey, American Institutes for Research; Yan Wang, American Institutes for Research

• Noncognitive Skills and Their Relationship With NAEP Performance by NAEP Achievement Levels - B. Jasmine Park, American Institutes for Research; Alison Filbey, American Institutes for Research; Grace Ji Cheng, American Institutes for Research

• Investigating the Relations of Teacher Perceptions, Noncognitive Constructs, and Mathematics Achievement - Judy H. Tang, Westat; Juliann Dupuis, Notre Dame of Maryland University

Discussant

• William Ward, U.S. Department of Education