About the Survey
Overview
Part II of the NIES study is a survey that explores the educational experiences of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students participating in the NAEP assessments. Throughout the survey, questions were included to examine the extent to which AI/AN students were exposed to native language and culture in their everyday lives and at school. The survey was given to
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grade 4 and grade 8 students,
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teachers of the participating students at each grade level,
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principals of the schools from which the students were selected, and
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administrators of the schools from which the students were selected.
The NIES Technical Review Panel (TRP), whose members included American Indian and Alaska Native educators and researchers from across the country, oversaw the development of the questionnaires, which included multiple-choice questions and a space at the end for respondents to write in comments.
Although questionnaire results are available from the 2005 NIES study, the 2007 report does not compare 2007 results to 2005. Because of revisions made to the NIES questionnaires and changes in sample configuration and administration procedures between 2005 and 2007, the two years' results are not directly comparable.
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How Results Are Reported
The survey report presents findings in three categories:
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Student Characteristics focuses on basic demographic information about AI/AN students, including geographic location, the types of schools they attend, socioeconomic and learning factors, and home support for learning.
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Teacher and School Characteristics provides information about the teachers and schools that serve AI/AN students, including the racial/ethnic and linguistic backgrounds of teachers, the education and preparation of teachers, and the characteristics of the schools, including staffing and school climate.
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Integration of Language and Culture presents survey results showing the extent of students' knowledge of their tribe or group, the use of tribal languages within the home and at school, teachers' integration of culture and language into the classroom, and students' exposure to their AI/AN community and culture.
The report compares the results for AI/AN students attending high density schools (those in which at least 25 percent of the students are AI/AN) with those for students attending low density schools (those in which less than 25 percent of the students are AI/AN), and makes comparisons between the results for AI/AN students attending public and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools.
Results for American Indian/Alaska Native students are also presented for five NIES-defined regions of the country: Atlantic, North Central, South Central, Mountain, and Pacific. (See a map of the regions.) These regions, which differ from those used in other NAEP reports, are based on U.S. Census divisions and are configured to align with the overall distribution of the AI/AN student population. The regional results are based on samples from students enrolled in all types of schools (public, private, BIE, and Department of Defense) and reflect the combined samples from all of the states within each region.
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Survey Sample
The survey sample was designed to produce information representative of the target population of all fourth- and eighth-grade AI/AN students in the United States. The sample selection for NIES took place in conjunction with the sampling activities for the 2007 NAEP assessments at grades 4 and 8.
Sampling proceeded in two stages: first, schools were selected, and then fourth- and eighth-grade students were selected at each school. Schools selected for NAEP were asked to provide a list of all enrolled students in the grade(s) of interest. These student lists were then used to draw the sample of students (the second stage of sampling). On these student lists, schools report each student's race/ethnicity based on information from official school records. For NIES II, the schools that reported having AI/AN students enrolled in fourth or eighth grade were identified. This subsample of schools consisted of approximately 94 percent public schools, 1 percent private schools, and 5 to 6 percent BIE schools at grades 4 and 8. All BIE schools were part of the sample.
To maximize student sample sizes, all fourth- and eighth-grade AI/AN students in the sampled schools were selected for participation in NIES II. As is the case for all NAEP assessments, school personnel had the opportunity to review the lists of selected students and identify any students with disabilities or English language learners who were to be excluded based on NAEP guidelines. Parents were notified of the assessment, but active consent for participation was only solicited if required by the school.
The NIES Part II sample, which was drawn from the subsample of schools with AI/AN students, included about 13,000 AI/AN students at approximately 1,900 schools at grade 4 and 15,000 AI/AN students at 2,000 schools at grade 8 located throughout the United States. At grades 4 and 8, the sample consisted of 94 percent public schools, 5 to 6 percent BIE schools, and 1 percent private schools. Approximately 10 private schools participated at grade 4, and approximately 20 participated at grade 8. From this sample, the questionnaires were completed by about 10,000 grade 4 students from 1,700 schools and 11,000 grade 8 students from 1,800 schools. Also responding to the survey were about 3,000 grade 4 teachers, 4,600 grade 8 teachers, 1,700 grade 4 school administrators, and 1,800 grade 8 school administrators associated with these students. Some school administrators responded for both grade 4 and grade 8.
The NIES Part II survey was designed to obtain a sample that was not only representative of all U.S. AI/AN students at grades 4 and 8, but would also allow comparisons between AI/AN students attending high density and low density schools where density is defined as the proportion of AI/AN students enrolled. The sample included 400 high density schools at each grade, 1,500 low density schools at grade 4, and 1,600 at grade 8. In addition, the 2007 sample design allows the Part II survey data to be linked to the achievement data collected in NIES Part I.
Additional information about sampling and weighting is available in the print version of the NIES II report.
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Data Collection
In each selected school, all AI/AN students in the NAEP sample were included in the survey sample. Schools and students were free to participate in either NAEP or the NIES survey independently. Choosing not to participate in NAEP did not exclude a school or student from the NIES survey, and response rates for the survey were not affected by NAEP response rates.
NIES representatives (NCES data collection contractor staff) visited the schools in January and February of 2007 to administer the survey questionnaires. The questions were read out loud to all students at grades 4 and 8 who needed assistance. In addition, the study representatives were available to answer any questions that students had as they worked on the questionnaires.
The NAEP background questionnaires, which form the basis for the non-AI/AN student data included in this report, were collected in a similar fashion.
For both NIES and NAEP, teachers and school administrators were asked to complete the questionnaires on their own, either prior to or during the visit from the student representative.
The results gathered from the survey provide a snapshot of the cultural and educational experiences of AI/AN students.
Explore the 2007 NIES survey. Read about the 2005 survey.
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