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NAEP Weighting Procedures → Weighting Procedures for the 2005 Assessment → Computation of Full-Sample Weights for the 2005 Assessment → School and Student Nonresponse Adjustments for the 2005 Assessment → School Nonresponse Adjustment for the 2005 Assessment → Development of Final School Nonresponse Cells for the 2005 Assessment

NAEP Technical DocumentationDevelopment of Final School Nonresponse Cells for the 2005 Assessment

Limits were placed on the magnitude of cell sizes and adjustment factors to prevent unstable nonresponse adjustments and unacceptably large nonresponse factors. All initial weighting cells with fewer than six cooperating schools or adjustment factors greater than 3.0 were collapsed with suitable adjacent cells. Initial weighting cells were generally collapsed in reverse order of the cell structure; that is, starting at the bottom of the nesting structure and working up towards the top level of the nesting structure.

For the state-based samples at grades 4 and 8, cells with the most similar race/ethnicity strata within a given jurisdiction/Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) district and urbanicity stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing were required after all levels of race/ethnicity strata were collapsed, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined next. Cells were never collapsed across jurisdiction or TUDA district.

For the national public school samples at grades 4 and 8, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata within a given census division stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing were necessary after all levels of urbanicity strata were collapsed, cells were collapsed across the census division stratum but never across science/nonscience domain.

For the national public school samples at grade 12, race/ethnicity status cells within a given census division stratum and urbanicity stratum were collapsed first. If further collapsing were necessary, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined. Any further collapsing occurred across census division strata but never across census region.

Likewise, for the private school samples, cells with the most similar race/ethnicity strata were collapsed first. If further collapsing were necessary, cells with the most similar urbanicity strata were combined. Any further collapsing occurred across census division, and, finally, across private school type.

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