Review of web-based technical documentation process FY 07 NAEP-QA special study report
NCES provides detailed technical documentation reports that cover all aspects of the NAEP assessments. Because of the breadth and depth of the technical documentation, the development and review cycle has become quite long. Detailed technical documentation is not widely available to researchers until many years after assessment data have been collected and results have been released. This time lag results in an increased burden on NCES and contractor
staff, who must answer individual technical questions that arise, often repeatedly, before the documentation is available.
Beginning with the 2000 and 2001 NAEP assessments, NCES has made technical documentation available on the worldwide web at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tdw/. The web-based documentation is designed to be less dense and more accessible than prior printed versions. The current study reviewed the web-based version of NAEP technical documentation, compared it to prior hardcopy versions, and identified possible improvements to both the content and development processes used for the web-based documentation.