About the Assessment: Participation Rates

National participation

To ensure unbiased samples, NCES statistical standards require that participation rates for original school samples be 70 percent or higher to report national results separately for public and private schools. In instances where participation rates meet the 70 percent criteria but fall below 85 percent, a nonresponse bias analysis is conducted.

Before substituting new schools for originally sampled schools that declined to participate, the weighted national school participation rates for the 2009 mathematics assessment were 97 percent for grade 4 (100 percent for public schools and 73 percent for private schools) and 97 percent for grade 8 (100 percent for public schools and 72 percent for private schools). Student participation rates were 95 percent at grade 4 and 93 percent at grade 8. The nonresponse bias analysis for private schools at grades 4 and 8 showed that substitution and weight adjustments reduced the potential bias.

State participation

Standards established by the National Assessment Governing Board require that school participation rates for the original state samples need to be at least 85 percent for results to be reported. In 2009, all 52 states and jurisdictions participating in the mathematics assessment at grades 4 and 8 met this participation rate requirement.

The tables below provide participation rates before substitution.

Learn more about the sampling design.

Grade 4

Grade 8

School and student participation rates in NAEP mathematics at grade 8, by state/jurisdiction: 2009
State/jurisdiction	Student- weighted percent	School- weighted percent	Number of schools participating	Student- weighted percent	Number of students assessed
	School participation			Student participation
Nation	97	87	7,030	93	161,700
Public	100	100	6,520	92	156,200
Private	72	68	360	95	3,100
Alabama	100	100	110	94	2,700
Alaska	98	88	100	90	2,400
Arizona	100	100	130	93	2,900
Arkansas	100	100	120	92	2,600
California	100	100	230	92	7,100
Colorado	100	100	120	93	2,700
Connecticut	100	100	110	91	2,800
Delaware	100	100	50	91	2,700
Florida	100	100	160	91	4,300
Georgia	100	100	120	93	3,500
Hawaii	100	100	70	92	2,800
Idaho	100	100	110	94	3,000
Illinois	100	100	200	94	4,100
Indiana	100	100	110	93	2,600
Iowa	100	100	130	94	2,600
Kansas	99	99	120	93	2,700
Kentucky	100	100	130	94	3,700
Louisiana	100	100	120	92	2,600
Maine	100	100	130	92	2,700
Maryland	100	100	130	92	3,200
Massachusetts	100	100	140	92	3,600
Michigan	100	100	150	93	3,400
Minnesota	100	100	140	92	2,900
Mississippi	100	100	120	94	2,800
Missouri	100	100	130	93	2,700
Montana	100	98	170	91	2,600
Nebraska	100	100	120	95	2,700
Nevada	100	100	90	91	2,800
New Hampshire	96	96	90	89	2,500
New Jersey	100	100	110	93	2,800
New Mexico	100	100	110	90	2,500
New York	97	98	150	90	3,800
North Carolina	100	100	150	93	4,400
North Dakota	100	100	180	95	2,200
Ohio	100	100	190	93	3,500
Oklahoma	100	100	150	93	2,600
Oregon	100	100	130	93	2,900
Pennsylvania	100	100	150	92	3,600
Rhode Island	100	100	60	92	2,700
South Carolina	100	100	110	94	2,800
South Dakota	100	100	220	95	2,800
Tennessee	100	100	120	94	2,900
Texas	99	100	170	92	5,800
Utah	100	100	110	91	2,900
Vermont	100	100	120	92	2,800
Virginia	100	100	110	93	2,800
Washington	100	100	130	92	2,800
West Virginia	100	100	120	93	2,900
Wisconsin	99	99	170	93	3,500
Wyoming	100	100	80	91	1,900
Other jurisdictions
BIE¹	80	83	60	90	800
District of Columbia	100	100	90	87	1,700
DoDEA²	99	97	60	92	1,600
¹ Bureau of Indian Education. ¹ Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools). NOTE: The number of schools is rounded to the nearest ten. The number of students is rounded to the nearest hundred. The national totals for schools include Department of Defense Education Activity (overseas and domestic schools) and Bureau of Indian Education schools, which are not included in either the public or private totals. The national totals for students include students in these schools. Columns of percentages have different denominators. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2009 Mathematics Assessment.