Spring 2023 NSCAS Growth: ELA, Mathematics, and Science Technical Report

In Fall and Winter 2022-2023, the NSCAS assessments were administered in ELA and mathematics for grades 3-8. In Spring 2022-2023, the NSCAS assessments were administered in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics for grades 3-8 and in science for grades 5 and 8. The purposes of the NSCAS assessments are to measure and report Nebraska students' depth of achievement regarding the Nebraska College and Career Ready Standards; to determine if student achievement demonstrates sufficient academic proficiency to be on track for achieving college readiness; to measure students' annual progress toward college and career readiness; to inform teachers how student thinking differs along different areas of the scale, as represented by the range achievement level descriptors (RALDs), as information to support instructional planning; and to assess students' construct-relevant achievement in ELA, mathematics, and science for all students and subgroups of students. This technical report documents the processes and procedures implemented to support the 2022-2023 Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS) Growth in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science assessments by NWEA® under the supervision of the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE). The technical report shows how the processes, methods applied, and results relate to the issues of validity and reliability and to the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (AERA et al., 2014).