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​​​​​NAEP Technical DocumentationClassical Item Analysis

      

Dichotomously Scored Items

Polytomously Scored Items

Blocks of Items

All NAEP cognitive items are subjected to analyses of item properties. These analyses include classical item analyses and incorporate examinee sampling weights appropriately. Item analyses are performed separately for each grade on each item in each subject area. Each block of items is analyzed separately by grade, with the total score of the block (including the analyzed item) used as the criterion score for statistics requiring such a score.

The long-term trend assessment data are analyzed somewhat differently. Individual items and blocks of items are analyzed by age (9, 13, and 17) rather than grade (4, 8, and 12). The item analysis of cognitive items is conducted twice, both before and after scaling of the items.

​
Links to summaries of classical item statistics, by subject, year, assessment type, and grade: Various years, 2000–2019
SubjectYear, assessment, and gradeOverall descriptive statistics for item blocks as defined after scalingBlock-level descriptive statistics by public and nonpublic school sessions, as defined after scalingAverage jurisdiction item scores for monitored and unmonitored sessions
Arts - Music2016 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2008 national assessment at grade 8 R3‡†
Arts - Visual arts
2016 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2008 national assessment at grade 8 R3‡†
Civics2018 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2014 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2006 national assessment at grade 4 R3‡†
2006 national assessment at grade 8 R3‡†
2006 national assessment at grade 12 R3‡†
Economics2012 national assessment at grade 12 R3‡†
2006 national assessment at grade 12 R3‡†
Geography2018 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2014 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2001 national assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2 R3 / R2 †
2001 national assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2001 national assessment at grade 12 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
Mathematics2019 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2019 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2019 national assessment at grade 12
 R3 R3†
2017 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2017 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 national assessment at grade 12
 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3 †
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2007 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2007 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2005 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2003 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2003 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2000 national assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 national assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 national assessment at grade 12 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 state assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2† R2
2000 state assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2† R2
Reading2019 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2019 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2019 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2017 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2017 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2013 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3
†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2007 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2007 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2005 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2003 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2003 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2002 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2002 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2002 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2000 national assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
Science2019 national assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2019 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2019 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2005 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2005 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2000 national assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 national assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 national assessment at grade 12 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2000 state assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2† R2
2000 state assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2† R2
Technology and engineering literacy (TEL)
2018 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2014 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
U.S. history2018 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2014 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2010 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2006 national assessment at grade 4 R3‡†
2006 national assessment at grade 8 R3‡†
2006 national assessment at grade 12 R3‡†
2001 national assessment at grade 4 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2001 national assessment at grade 8 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
2001 national assessment at grade 12 R3 / R2 R3 / R2†
Vocabulary2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2015 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2009 combined national and state assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
Writing2011 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2011 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
2007 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2007 national assessment at grade 12 R3‡†
2002 combined national and state assessment at grade 4 R3 R3†
2002 combined national and state assessment at grade 8 R3 R3†
2002 national assessment at grade 12 R3 R3†
† Not applicable. Block-level descriptive statistics by public and nonpublic schools were only produced for national assessment data, not for state assessment data prior to 2002. Average jurisdiction item scores for monitored and unmonitored tables were not applicable to the national assessment because only state assessment sessions were monitored prior to 2002. At that time, they were not administered by NAEP staff, but by individuals from each state hired on a contract basis to administer the assessment. 
‡ Reporting standards not met. Public and nonpublic school participation rates were not met for 2006 civics and U.S. history, 2007 writing at grade 12, 2008 arts at grade 8, and 2006 and 2012 economics at grade 12. Nonpublic school samples include only private schools, including Catholic schools. BIE and DoDEA schools are not included in either the public or nonpublic category.
NOTE: Vocabulary, reading vocabulary, and meaning vocabulary refer to the same reporting scale. Because preliminary analyses of students' writing performance in the 2017 NAEP writing assessments at grades 4 and 8 revealed potentially confounding factors in measuring performance, results will not be publicly reported. R2 is the non-accommodated reporting sample; R3 is the accommodated reporting sample. If sampled students are classified as students with disabilities (SD) or English learners (EL), and school officials, using NAEP guidelines, determine that they can meaningfully participate in the NAEP assessment with accommodation, those students are included in the NAEP assessment with accommodation along with other sampled students including SD/EL students who do not need accommodations. The R3 sample is more inclusive than the R2 sample and excludes a smaller proportion of sampled students. The R3 sample is the only reporting sample used in NAEP after 2001. The block naming conventions used in the 2018 civics, geography, and U.S. history assessments are described in the document 2018 Block Naming Conventions in Data Products and TDW. The block naming conventions used in the 2019 mathematics, reading, and science assessments are described in the document 2019 Block Naming Conventions in Data Products and TDW.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 2000–2019 Assessments.

Links to summaries of classical item statistics, long-term trend assessments, by subject, year, assessment type, and age: 2004, 2008, and 2012
SubjectYear, assessment, and age​Overall descriptive statistics for item blocks as defined after scaling
Mathematics2012 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2012 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2012 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
​Reading2012 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2012 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2012 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2008 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 9 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 13 R3
2004 long-term trend assessment at age 17 R3
NOTE: "Block-level descriptive statistics by public- and nonpublic-schools" tables and "Average jurisdiction item scores for monitored and unmonitored" tables are not produced for long-term trend assessments. R3 is the accommodated reporting sample. If sampled students are classified as students with disabilities (SD) or English learners (EL), and school officials, using NAEP guidelines, determine that they can meaningfully participate in the NAEP assessment with accommodation, those students are included in the NAEP assessment with accommodation along with other sampled students including SD/EL students who do not need accommodations. The R3 sample is more inclusive than the R2 sample and excludes a smaller proportion of sampled students. The R3 sample is the only reporting sample used in NAEP after 2001. 
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2004, 2008, and 2012 Mathematics and Reading Long-Term Trend Assessments.


Last updated 17 January 2024 (SK)
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