[Federal Register: May 10, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 89)] [Notices] [Page 25028-25029] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr10my99-50] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION National Assessment Governing Board; Public Forum AGENCY: National Assessment Governing Board; Education. ACTION: Notice of information collection activity. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This notice announces that the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) will submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The ICR is: An Investigation of Alternative Methods for Scale Anchoring and Item Mapping in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. DATES: Public comments must be submitted on or before June 9, 1999. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted by June 9, 1999. Mail to Patricia Hanick, NAEP ALS Project Manager, ACT, Inc., 2255 North Dubuque Road, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, IA 52243-0168. Copies of the complete ICR and accompanying appendices may be obtained from the NAEP ALS Project Manager at the address above. Comments may also be submitted electronically by sending electronic mail (e-mail) to Hanick@ACT.org. Electronic comments must be identified by the title of the ICR. No confidential business information should be submitted through e-mail. Information submitted as a comment concerning this document may be claimed confidential by marking any part or all of that information as confidential business information (CBI). Information so marked will not be disclosed except in accordance with the procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. A copy of the comment that does not contain CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the public record. Information not marked confidential may be disclosed publicly by NAGB without prior notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patirica Hanick, NAEP ALS Project Manager, ACT, Inc., 2255 North Dubuque Road, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, IA 52243-0168, Telephone: (319) 337-1452 or (800) 525-6930, e-mail: Hanick@ACT.org. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic copies of this ICR can be obtained from the contact person listed above. I. Information Collection Request NAGB is seeking comments on the following Information Collection Request (ICR). Title: An Investigation of Alternative Methods for Scale Anchoring and Item Mapping in the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Affected Entities: Parties affected by this information collection are persons who served as panelists for pilot studies, achievement levels-setting (ALS) meetings, and validation research for the 1998 Science NAEP. Abstract. The purpose of this information collection activity is to gather research information for NAGB to be used in evaluating the procedures for the selection of exemplar items to represent student performance on NAEP. Exemplar items are used as one of the primary means of communicating student performance on NAEP. The criteria for selecting exemplar items is critical to the ``message'' portrayed by the items when reporting the outcomes of NAEP to the public. Two statistical criteria currently guide the selection of exemplar items: One based on item difficulty, and the other on item discrimination. Part One of the study will examine that statistical criteria used to select exemplar items by comparing various scale anchoring and item mapping methodologies. The results of these systematic comparisons will be judged not only statistically, but also according to the degree to which they agree with informed judgments about item difficulty. Collecting responses from informed judges is Part Two of the study. Because these individuals have participated in the process of setting achievement levels for the 1998 Science NAEP, they are likely to be keenly interested in the research study. In Part One of the study, several technical aspects of the anchoring process will be investigated: (1) Stringency of difficulty criterion (response probability criterion); (2) Point versus interval-based estimates; (3) Empirical versus model-based estimates; (4) Type of discrimination criterion. Before conducting the data analysis of the anchoring process, cross validation analyses of random half-samples of the data will be done. Four methods of analyzing the student data are planned: (1) Empirical/interval estimation; (2) Empirical/point estimation; (3) Model-based/interval estimation; (4) Model-based/point estimation. Three factors will be considered as the criteria to determine which anchoring/mapping method is best: (1) Consistency of results across subsamples; (2) The degree to which the results are supported by informed judgment; [[Page 25029]] (3) The number of exemplar items produced by the method. In Part Two of the study each prospective respondent will be sent a selection of items from the 1990 Science NAEP Physical Science item pool. All of the items have been ``released'' for public review. Respondents will be asked to rank order the items according to the perceived level of difficulty. The ranking task will involve four overlapping sets of 8-9 items per set. Each item will be displayed on a separate card. Item sets will include obtained and bogus clusters. Participants will be asked if the items appear to cluster together, and if so, what are the common tasks or content areas that form the basis of the cluster. They will be asked to determine if the clusters reflect Basic, Proficient, or Advanced performance, based on the NAGB policy definitions of achievement levels. Finally, participants will be asked the following question: If you were told that American students can do item N, what would you assume this meant? Specifically, what percent of students would need to be able to answer correctly in order for you to agree that students can do the item? (40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, (90%, 100%). The results of Part One will then be evaluated according to the degree to which they agree with the informed judgments about item difficulty. The response rate for the survey used in Part Two is expected to be 80% or higher. Only persons who served as panelists for pilot studies, achievement levels-setting meetings, and validation research for the 1998 Science NAEP will be invited to participate. These individuals have shown keen interest in NAEP by their participation in the ALS process. The mailing list for these individuals is being updated, and those who can be contacted will be asked in advance if they will agree to participate in the survey. Only persons who consent will receive the survey and accompanying materials. Follow-up procedures will include mailing reminder postcards, making telephone calls, and sending replacement materials. No third party notification or public disclosure burden is associated with this collection. Burden Statement: The estimated total respondent burden is 228 hours, and the average burden per respondent is 1.5 hours. This is a one-time survey. Neither small business nor other small entities are included in the survey. II. Request for Comments NAGB solicits comments to: (i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is an appropriate method to determine the ``message'' portrayed by the items regarding student performance on NAEP reported to the public. (ii) Enhance the accuracy, quality, and utility of the information to be collected. (iii) Evaluate whether the design of this survey maximizes the response rate, i.e. the number of selected persons who will respond. Records are kept of all public comments and are available for public inspection at the U.S. Department of Education, National Assessment Governing Board, Suite 825, 800 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dated: May 5, 1999. Roy Truby, Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board. [FR Doc. 99-11660 Filed 5-7-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-M