​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​NAEP Technical DocumentationSchool Questionnaire

The school questionnaire provides supplemental information about school factors that may influence students’ achievement. It is given to the principal or another official of each school that participated in a particular NAEP assessment and is completed on a voluntary basis.

The school questionnaire is organized into different parts. The first part tends to cover characteristics and policies of the school, including the length of the school day and year, school enrollment, absenteeism, dropout rates, and the size and composition of the teaching staff. The school questionnaire also covers tracking policies, curricula, testing practices, special priorities, schoolwide programs and problems, availability of resources, policies for parental involvement, special services, and community services. Subsequent parts of the questionnaire are subject-specific, and include questions on the roles and responsibilities of school personnel available to provide instruction in particular subjects. In addition, the school questionnaires may ask about the availability of activities unique to a particular subject (e.g., mathematics competitions, chess clubs, and school-sponsored field trips related to dance, music, theater, or visual arts).

The supplemental charter school questionnaire designed to collect information on charter school policies and characteristics is provided to principals (or other administrators) of charter school students sampled to participate in NAEP. The supplement covers school organization and governance, primary curricular focus, and parental involvement.

The content and format of school questionnaires differ slightly from year to year and depend on what grade level or age ​and subject area are being assessed. ​In 2022/2023, COVID-19 questions were included in the survey​ questionnaires and evaluated the experiences of students, teachers, and school administrators during the pandemic, particularly in relation to four themes that have traditionally informed the development of NAEP survey questionnaires: technology use and access, resources for learning and instruction, organization of instruction, and teacher preparation. ​Self-efficacy, with a focus on educational experiences both during and after the pandemic, was also an important component of the COVID-19 questions.​​

The table below includes links to school questionnaires administered between 2000 and 2022/2023. For more information on how items are developed for the school questionnaire and how the resulting data are used and analyzed, see NAEP Questionnaires for Students, Teachers, and School Administrators.

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