Frequently Asked Questions

• Which countries participated in CivED?
• Who conducted CivEd in the United States?
• How does CivEd differ from NAEP Civics?
• What are the components of CivEd?
• What areas were assessed?
• What is the sample design?
• How can we be sure the data is comparable?
• What can we learn from CivEd?
• When were results released?
• What results were reported?

How can we be sure the data is comparable?

The CivEd International Coordinating Center (ICC), located at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, diligently worked to ensure that the data collection procedures across countries are comparable. To this end the ICC instituted the following procedures for quality assurance:

• Coordinated by the CivEd Sampling Referee, national school and student samples were rigorously reviewed for bias and international comparability.
• Utilizing two independent translations within each country, the CivEd materials were translated into the national languages of the participating countries. Once these translations are reconciled, the CivEd International Coordinating Center verified these results through the use of a professional translation agency.
• Data collection staff from each nation were thoroughly trained in data collection and scoring procedures. Furthermore, the CivEd International Coordinating Center monitored the work of the national data collection staff throughout the entire project.
• Site visits by quality control staff were conducted during the testing period to further ensure the international data collection procedures were followed at the national level.
• Finally, an extensive review of data was conducted for internal and cross-country consistency.

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