Using State Assessments to Impute Achievement of Students Absent from NAEP: An Empirical Study in Four States

A simulation study was conducted to explore the potential of state assessment scores to improve adjustments for nonparticipation (McLaughlin, Gallagher, and Stancavage, 2004). That study found that state assessment scores could potentially be more effective than demographic information in removing the bias related to absences. The present study aims to extend that simulation by empirically assessing the potential for using state assessment scores to impute achievement for NAEP absent students in four states. In these four states, state assessment scores were acquired for students selected to participate in the NAEP reading and mathematics assessments in 2003. Four research questions have guided the course of this study: (1) How well do state assessment scores cover absent students?; (2) Do state assessment scores follow the patterns of NAEP scores?; (3) How do results of adjustments for absences based on state test data compare to current demographic adjustments for absences?; and (4) Is the use of state assessment data for this purpose feasible? The overarching research question for the study is whether state assessment scores could enhance the adjustments for NAEP nonparticipation. The major findings of this study are presented herein. Tables of Nonresponse adjustments in four states are appended. (Contains 23 tables, 1 figure, and 1 footnote.)