SCHOOL NAEP COORDINATOR NOTIFICATION LETTER NOTE TO DISTRICT ASSESSMENT COORDINATORS: You must insert your data into the bracketed fields. This sample Grade 4, 8, and 12 School NAEP Coordinator Notification Letter is available for download in MS Word format at www.fldoe.org/asp/naep/naep2009.asp. Please ensure that the notification letters are distributed on your district’s letterhead. [District Letterhead] MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: [Name of School NAEP Coordinator] [Name of District Assessment Coordinator] [Title] [Date] Participation in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
NAEP is a national assessment of student achievement, mandated by the United States Department of Education. Sampling and data collection activities for NAEP are carried out by Westat, the contractor hired by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Your school has been selected, through national sampling procedures, to participate in the 2009 administration of NAEP. Your scheduled assessment date is [insert date]. Please add this date to your school calendar or let me know as soon as possible if there is a conflict. Ninety percent of the students selected by Westat must participate, or a makeup session will have to be scheduled. The Criteria for This Year’s Assessment at Your School Assessment Schedule o January 25–March 5, 2009 Subjects to be Assessed o Reading, Mathematics, or Science or o U.S. History, Civics, or Geography Assessment Duration o Approximately 90 to 120 minutes for students Assessment Administrator o Westat personnel Assessment Population o Grades 4, 8, and 12 students Your Responsibilities as School NAEP Coordinator Access http://www.mynaep.com to register for the MySchool Web link from the MyNAEP Web site, using your 12-digit MySchool Registration ID [insert ID number] (see MySchool Brochure and Tip Sheet: How to Register for MySchool for detailed instructions). Complete the online NAEP School Data Collection Form on the MySchool Web site by Friday, October 3, 2008.
National Assessment of Educational Progress [Name of School NAEP Coordinator] [Date] Page 2 Work with a Westat Assessment Coordinator several weeks prior to the assessment to discuss details of the assessment, including accommodations that may be necessary to assess students with disabilities and English language learners. This Pre-Assessment Visit will take place in December. Develop strategies to obtain maximum student participation. Review the following enclosed documents: Information sheet showing your assessment date and MySchool Registration ID number NAEP 2009 in Your School NAEP 2009 in Your School, School Coordinator Responsibilities Facts for Principals Florida’s Instructions for the NAEP School Coordinator MySchool Tip Sheet: How to Register for MySchool Florida NAEP 2009—Participating in a NAEP Assessment Florida NAEP 2009 Logistics Questionnaire Parent/Guardian Notification Letter Parent/Guardian Letter Confirmation Form Student Notification Letter Teacher Notification Letter Letter concerning The Jessica Lunsford Act 2009 NAEP Assessment Plans How are Florida’s Students Doing? Florida Snapshot Reports for Mathematics, Grades 4 and 8, Reading, Grades 4 and 8, and Writing, Grade 8 The Nation’s Report Card and State Assessments Florida NAEP Newsletter Ensure that parents/guardians are notified that their children have been selected for the assessment. Enclosed is a copy of the notification letter you will use. The letter is also available in Spanish and Haitian-Creole. The three letters are posted on Florida’s 2009 NAEP Web page, www.fldoe.org/asp/naep/naep2009.asp. The items in brackets are the ONLY adjustments that are to be made to the letter. The letter must be dated and printed on school letterhead. The procedures for handling the Parent/Guardian Notification Letter are as follows: o retain a dated copy of the distributed Parent/Guardian Notification Letter (must be on school letterhead), o have each student receiving a Parent/Guardian Notification Letter sign the NAEP Parent Letter Confirmation Form, o maintain a log of parent refusals (refusals must be in writing), and o fax a copy of the letter to [District NAEP liaison name, title, and fax number].
The Department of Education will provide student lists to Westat who, in turn, will choose the sample of students to be involved in the assessment based on your school’s demographics. You will need to provide an updated student roster to the Assessment Coordinator during the Pre-Assessment Visit.
National Assessment of Educational Progress [Name of School NAEP Coordinator] [Date] Page 3
I recommend that a school representative meet with the selected students to explain the importance of the assessment and that, if possible, participating students be offered some type of incentive for their participation, such as a breakfast before the assessment or pizza party after the assessment. Grade 12 students might be motivated to participate in exchange for an early release day on prom day or participation in a drawing for a free yearbook, free prom tickets, or a gift card from a local mall. We encourage you to include as many of your students with disabilities and English language learners as possible. A high exclusion rate can skew Florida’s results. In October you will receive a chart comparing FCAT and NAEP accommodations. Please refer to this chart when making your inclusion/exclusion decisions. Key Features of NAEP NAEP protects the anonymity of participating students and school staff. NAEP provides results for subgroups and reports other variables related to educational content but is not designed to produce individual student or school data. NAEP maintains a secure administration in schools through the use of an outside contractor (Westat). Sample questions, previous results, NAEP publications, and complete information about the assessment can be found on the NAEP Web sites, http://nationsreportcard.gov and http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard. You may also visit Florida’s NAEP Web site at www.fldoe.org/asp/naep. Examples of background questions that might be included in the assessment can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/bgquest.asp. If you have any questions about NAEP after you review this packet of materials, please contact me at [insert your telephone number and e-mail address]. Governor Charlie Crist, Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith, and State Board of Education Chairman T. Williard Fair join me in expressing our appreciation for your assistance with this very important assessment of our nation’s students. I look forward to collaborating with you and your staff to ensure the success of the 2009 NAEP administration. [Your initials] Enclosures