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Information about NAEP Partners
National Assessment of Educational Progress (home)

The History of NAEP Partners

NAEP has grown and changed in many ways since the first assessment in 1969–1970. Changes are illustrated in this brief history of NAEP partners from the present to the beginning.

Current Partners: 2008 to 2012

The 2008–2012 assessments are being conducted under seven contracts, awarded to four contractors:

ETS

ETS is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1947. The ETS mission is to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research, and related services. ETS products and services measure knowledge and skills, promote learning and educational performance, and support education and professional development for all people worldwide. ETS has been a NAEP contractor since 1983. Website: http://www.ets.org.

ETS currently holds these contracts:

  • Alliance Coordination: To ensure coordination among Alliance contractors and to maintain data for tracking the program progress.

  • Design, Analysis, and Reporting: To design all pilot and field tests, operational assessments and special studies; to analyze data to ensure the reporting of valid results; to propose and study psychometric and statistical analyses compatible with previous NAEP methodologies; to determine the data needed to meet the goals for reporting; and to prepare reports.

  • Item Development: To develop the background variables, cognitive items, and scoring rubrics for all NAEP assessments and to participate in reviews of items.

Westat

Westat is an employee-owned research corporation, founded in 1961. A leading statistical survey research organization with expertise in statistical sample design, Westat also provides custom research and program evaluation studies across a broad range of subject areas and capabilities in survey and analytical methods, computer systems technology, biomedical science, and clinical trials. Westat has been a NAEP contractor or subcontractor since 1989. Website: http://westat.com.

Westat holds these contracts:

  • Sampling and Data Collection: To select representative samples; to prepare sample weights for NAEP assessments; to administer assessments and collect data from field tests, operational assessments, and special studies; and to ship completed assessment materials to the scoring sites.

  • NAEP State Service Center: To support the NAEP State and TUDA Coordinators and provide training necessary to make them successful.

Pearson

Educational Measurement is a part of Pearson, a global provider of applications, services, and technologies for education, testing, assessment, government, and complex data management. Based in Iowa City, it is the largest commercial processor of K-12 tests in the U.S. NCS Pearson operates as a business of Pearson Education, the world’s largest integrated education company, which in turn is part of Pearson. NCS was founded in 1962 and joined Pearson in 2000. NCS Pearson has been a NAEP contractor or subcontractor since 1989. Website: http://www.pearson.com.

Pearson holds this contract:

  • Materials Preparation, Distribution, and Scoring: To prepare and package the assessment and all auxiliary materials; to distribute assessment booklets and materials to the test administrators for each school; to develop training and scoring materials; and to score all assessments.

Fulcrum IT Services Company

Fulcrum IT Services Company (formerly GMRI) was founded in 2006 and is an ISO 9001:2000 registered information technology (IT) company that provides solutions and services for federal, state, and local government customers. While being a small business, Fulcrum IT offers the kind of experience and knowledge found in larger businesses to deliver best-value solutions for e-business, storage, enterprise operations, and information and infrastructure assurance. Fulcrum IT has been involved in the NAEP program as the web technology experts since 2002, specializing in web content management, e-learning, e-business, and e-collaboration. Website: http://www.fulcrumit.com.

Fulcrum IT holds this contract:

  • Web/Technology Development, Operations, and Maintenance: To acquire, develop, implement, and support web/technology services for NAEP and the NAEP contractors; to identify and deploy emerging technologies and new products to improve NAEP offerings; to ensure timely services and release of quality products using web technologies, and to enhance and expand NAEP web/technology infrastructure and systems to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the NAEP program.

Additional NAEP Contracts:

Additional activities are procured under the U.S. Department of Education's General Services Administration (GSA) schedule or a Multiple Award Task Order (MATO) contract.

  • NAEP Educational Statistics Services Institute (NESSI):  Awarded to American Institutes for Research to support NCES Assessment Division in analytic, research and development, and reporting technical review activities for all NAEP assessments.

  • Publications, Outreach and Dissemination (PODS): Awarded to Hager Sharp to create a “Family of Products” design for all NAEP products; to design and produce a portable convention booth to display materials; to produce a video that showcases and promotes public awareness of NAEP; to provide set-up and staffing of booth for two major conferences/conventions per year; to create dissemination plans for NAEP reports, special studies, and secondary analysis grants.

  • National Validity Study Panel (NVS):  Awarded to American Institutes for Research to conduct studies on validity and reliability issues related to NAEP reading and mathematics assessments.

  • NAEP State Coordinators: Awarded to individual State Education Agencies, to serve as the liaison between the State Education Agency and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); to serve as the state's representative, or help select the appropriate representative, to review NAEP assessment items and processes; to coordinate the NAEP administration in the state; to analyze and report NAEP data; and to coordinate the use of NAEP results for policy and program planning.

New contracts for quality assurance, state analysis, and logistics are expected to be awarded in the fall of 2008.

2003 to 2007

The 2003–2007 assessments were conducted under cooperative agreements by a team of contractors:

  • Alliance Coordination; Design, Analysis, and Reporting; and Item Development for Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Writing: Educational Testing Service (ETS) was awarded the contract for ensuring coordination among the contractors in the team and maintaining data for tracking the program progress; to design all pilot and field tests, operational assessments, and special studies; to analyze data to ensure the reporting of valid results; to propose and study psychometric and statistical analyses compatible with previous NAEP methodologies; to determine the data needed to meet the goals for reporting; and to prepare reports;and to develop items in mathematics, reading, science, and writing.

  • Item Development: American Institutes for Research (AIR) was awarded the contract for item development for national-only subjects, including background variables, cognitive items, and scoring rubrics; to assist in scoring and the training of scorers; to conduct small-scale pilot tests of the items and rubrics; and to participate in reviews of items.

  • Materials Preparation, Distribution, and Scoring: Awarded to Pearson, to prepare and package the assessment and all auxiliary materials; to distribute assessment booklets and materials to the test administrators for each school; to develop training and scoring materials; and to score all assessments.

  • Sampling and Data Collection: Awarded to Westat, Inc., to select representative samples; to prepare sample weights for NAEP assessments; to administer assessments and collect data from field tests, operational assessments, and special studies; and to ship completed assessment materials to the scoring sites.

  • Web Operations and Maintenance: Awarded to Government Micro Resources, Inc., known as Fulcrum IT Services Company as of 2006, to acquire, develop, implement, and support Internet-related applications and services for NAEP and the NAEP contractors; to identify and deploy emerging technologies and new products to improve NAEP offerings; and to ensure timely services and release of quality products using web technologies.

Another six activities were procured under the U.S. Department of Education's General Services Administration (GSA) schedule or a Multiple Award Task Order (MATO) contract.

  • Dissemination and Outreach: Awarded to Hager Sharp, to create a “Family of Products” design for all NAEP products; to design and produce a portable convention booth to display materials; to produce a video that showcases and promotes public awareness of NAEP; to provide set-up and staffing of booth for two major conferences/conventions per year; to create dissemination plans for NAEP reports, special studies, and secondary analysis grants.

  • State Service Center: Awarded to Westat, Inc., to establish a NAEP State Service Center to provide ongoing support, technical assistance, and training for the NAEP State Coordinators; to answer information requests regarding NAEP; and to maintain a NAEP Information Center.

  • NAEP State Coordinators:  Awarded to individual State Education Agencies, to serve as the liaison between the State Education Agency and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP); to serve as the state's representative to review NAEP assessment items and processes; to coordinate the NAEP administration in the state; to analyze and report NAEP data; and to coordinate the use of NAEP results for policy and program planning.

  • State Analysis: Awarded to American Institutes for Research (AIR), to enhance the NAEP's capability to monitor academic progress and the performance trends of states and their identified student groups; portray patterns of achievement gaps between the student groups on NAEP state assessments; explain the NAEP state results; and identify patterns of performance that could affect NAEP assessments in states/jurisdictions.

  • Meeting Logistics: Awarded to Hager Sharp, to provide support to NAEP and NAEP contractors by planning meetings, staffing meetings, arranging travel, and related activities for meetings within and external to the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

  • NAEP Quality Assurance: Awarded to Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), to assure the integrity of NAEP assessments and the assessment process through ongoing monitoring and identification of potential technical and operational errors.

1996 to 2002

For 1996–1998, and then again for the 2000–2002 assessment cycles, cooperative agreements were awarded for

  1. scoring, analysis, and reporting; and
  2. sampling and data collection.

These awards went to ETS and Westat, Inc., respectively.

For the 2000–2002 cycles, ETS conducted the scoring, analysis, and reporting cooperative agreement, with subcontracts to AIR for background questionnaire development; to NCS Pearson for printing, mailing, and scoring of test booklets; and to Aspen Systems Corporation for meeting logistics. Westat, Inc., conducted the sampling and data collection cooperative agreement.

1994

In 1994, four cooperative agreements were awarded:

  1. item development;
  2. national scoring, analysis and reporting;
  3. national sampling and data collection; and
  4. combined operations for the 1994 state assessments.

ETS was awarded the cooperative agreements for 1, 2, and 4. National Computer Systems (NCS) was the scoring, printing and distribution subcontractor for these three cooperative agreements.

Westat, Inc., was awarded the cooperative agreement for 3, national sampling and data collection. Westat was also the subcontractor for sampling and monitoring data collection for the state assessment (4).

1989

In 1989, the project was administered as a contract vehicle, which ETS won for 1990–1992. NAEP operations project tasks included sampling, data collection, scoring, analysis, and reporting. ETS subcontracted sampling and data collection tasks to Westat, Inc., and scoring, printing, and distribution responsibilities to NCS.

1983

In 1983, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) won the grant competition and assumed responsibility for administration of the project.

1969

NAEP was administered by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) through 1983 under several grants and, for at least one assessment cycle, a contract.

Learn more about NAEP's history.

Last updated 27 March 2008 (MH)