Following are listed key steps in the design and development of the STEM K-12 Indicator on State Science and Mathematics Assessment Policies and the NORC online reporting system.*
| 2014-15 | |
|---|
| STEM indicators grant | NORC awarded an initial exploratory grant from National Science Foundation to test idea of an indicator on state student assessments in math and science and alignment to content standards. |
| Research field | Review of recent research on science and math assessments and reporting on state assessments. |
| Technical advisers | Meeting of 14 technical advisers (research, assessment, state leaders) to identify possible indicators and measures of state assessment policies. |
| Collect information | Interviews and focus groups with assessment directors, math & science specialists on needs for information and specific indicators of interest. |
| Design pilot study | Distribute pilot study questions to 10 voluntary participating state education agencies. |
| Report on pilot results | Provide results of pilot study to technical advisers, disseminate, and summarize findings in design paper. |
| 2015-16 | |
|---|
| Proposal to NSF | New 3-year grant proposal submitted to NSF PRIME program to implement an assessment policies reporting system. |
| Online survey instrument | NORC used advice and input from state education leaders and technical advisers to develop measures of state policies that could be tracked through an online survey. |
| Cognitive testing | Questions used to collect information from state education agencies tested through cognitive interviews with selected respondents. |
| Demonstration and report | Twenty (20) state education agencies provided responses to NORC online survey and initial report provided on measures across four categories of reporting: State assessments and uses, Design and administration, Math content alignment, Science content alignment. |
| 2016-17 | |
|---|
| Analysis and revisions | Results of the first-year implementation of science and math assessment policies reporting reviewed, edits and revisions to the survey and reporting system recommended. |
| Full online reporting | Information on policy measures in the online reporting system collected for all 50 states and DC using surveys, state websites, and existing research projects with state assessments and standards. |
| NORC website revised |
http://stem-assessment.org website fully developed by NORC and disseminated to state education leaders, national education organizations, and science and mathematics educators. |
| 2017-2018 | |
|---|
| SEAs respond to survey | State education agencies plus the District of Columbia provided responses to NORC online survey providing information on: State assessments and uses, Design and administration, Math content alignment, Science content alignment. |
| Full online reporting | Information on policy measures in the online reporting system updated for all 50 states and DC using surveys, state websites, and existing research projects with state assessments and standards. |
| NORC website revised |
http://stem-assessment.org website updated by NORC and disseminated to state education leaders, national education organizations, and science and mathematics educators. |
| Proposal to NSF | New 3-year grant proposal submitted to NSF to continue the website, with periodic updates. |
*For further information, see
Progress Report on Implementation: Development and Implementation of a STEM K-12 Indicator on State Assessment Policies in Science and Mathematics (Blank, R.K., 2017). NORC at the University of Chicago, prepared under NSF PRIME program grant (#1544123). Developing a System for Tracking State Assessment Policies in Science and Mathematics Education.
