Technical appendix document accompanying the gender-gap STEM trends study¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A technical brief published by NWEA in May 2025, described as "the accompanying technical appendix to the research study" on gender achievement gaps in 8th grade STEM skills. It documents the data and methods behind the study, "leveraging data from three national assessments, as well as enrollment in Algebra". It is listed under the topics COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, and Math & STEM.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• It accompanies the research study on post-COVID gender achievement gaps and presupposes that study's data sources

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• 8th grade students in U.S. schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• STEM skills achievement
• Algebra enrollment

Claims¶

• The study examines post-COVID trends in gender gaps in 8th grade STEM skills using three national assessments and Algebra enrollment data [+W]
• Gender gap trends in 8th-grade STEM were estimated from five years of TIMSS, NAEP, and MAP Growth data spanning the pandemic [+M]
• A two-million-student MAP Growth sample was used to test whether gender gaps widened among low- and high-achieving students [+M]
• Boys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills in post-COVID gender achievement gap trends [+M]

Related Elements¶

• MAP Growth assessment as a data source for gender-gap trend analysis
• MAP Growth Specialty School National Dashboard technical appendix

Examples¶

• Use multiple national assessments plus course-enrollment data to track achievement-gap trends

Key Sources¶

• Megan Kuhfeld, Karyn Lewis, Gustave Robinson. (2025). Technical appendix for "Boys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps". NWEA technical brief. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/technical-appendix-for-boys-regain-the-advantage-in-middle-school-stem-skills-post-covid-trends-in-gender-achievement-gaps/