NAEP Technical DocumentationDevelopment of Final School Nonresponse Cells for the 2014 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 three for the full sample weight were collapsed with suitable adjacent cells. Simultaneously, all initial weighting cells for any replicate with fewer than four cooperating schools or adjustment factors greater than the maximum of three (or two times the full sample nonresponse adjustment factor) 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 toward the top level of the nesting structure.

Public Schools

For the public schools, race/ethnicity classification cells within an urbanization classification (four categories based on urban-centric locale) stratum and census region were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required after all levels of race/ethnicity cells were collapsed, collapsed-urbanicity strata within census region were combined next. Cells were never collapsed across census region.

Private Schools

For the private schools, urbanization classification strata within a census region and affiliation type were collapsed first. If further collapsing was required, census region cells within an affiliation type were collapsed. Cells were never collapsed across affiliation.

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