This framework will define the purpose and scope of NAEP's system of collecting background information, including background questionnaires and other sources of non-cognitive data. It will establish criteria for reporting background information as part of the National Assessment. The approach it suggests provides for asking various groups of questions to various samples of students at various times. The framework reflects the following key principles: (1) The selection of background topics and questions shall be designed to fulfill all legal requirements for the National Assessment and to carry out decisions regarding what NAEP will report and how to report it; (2) Background information shall provide a context for reporting and interpreting achievement results and, as the statute provides, must be "directly related to the appraisal of academic achievement and to the fair and accurate presentation of such information"; (3) The collection of background data shall be designed to obtain information that is objective, valid, reliable, and of consistently high quality; (4) The system of background data collection shall be efficient and designed to minimize the burden on respondents and on the NAEP program--As much data as possible should be obtained from school records and other reliable data sources; (5) These principles shall apply both to the collection of general background information and to subject-specific background questions--The frameworks for the latter must be focused and prioritized, indicating a core set of variables for regular reporting and a more comprehensive set to be collected and reported less frequently; and (6) The priority order for background information is as follows: (1) reporting categories, as required by law; (2) contextual factors with a well-established relationship to achievement; and (3) subject-specific information. (Author)