Content and alignment of state writing standards and assessments as predictors of student writing achievement: An analysis of 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress data
Troia, G. A., Olinghouse, N. G., Zhang, M., Wilson, J., Stewart, K. A., Mo, Y., & Hawkins, L. (2018). Content and alignment of state writing standards and assessments as predictors of student writing achievement: An analysis of 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress data. Reading and Writing, 31(4), 835-864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-017-9816-3
This article examined whether the content of state writing standards and assessments, and the alignment between them, predicted student writing achievement on the 2007 NAEP writing assessment after controlling for student, school, and state characteristics. The authors found that student demographics explained the most between-state variation and that greater alignment between state writing tests and NAEP was associated with higher writing scores.
Key takeaways
- Student demographic characteristics accounted for the largest share of between-state differences in writing performance.
- State policy-related variables contributed to differences in writing achievement beyond student, school, and state covariates.
- States with writing tests more closely aligned to the NAEP writing assessment tended to have higher writing scores.
- The findings support the importance of alignment in standards-based writing policy.
Why it matters
Provides multilevel evidence connecting the content and alignment of state writing standards and assessments to student writing outcomes, showing that alignment with NAEP is associated with stronger performance.
Coauthors
Gary A. Troia, Natalie G. Olinghouse, Mingcai Zhang, Joshua Wilson, Kelly A. Stewart, Ya Mo, Lisa Hawkins
Topic tags
External links