The School Composition and the Black-White Achievement Gap study was undertaken by the National Center for Education Statistics to present both descriptive and associative information on the relationships among the percentage of students in a school who were Black (referred to as "Black student density" or "density"), the…

To answer questions about how students' proficiencies are changing over time, educational researchers are looking for data sources that span many years. Clearly, for answering questions about student growth, a longitudinal study--in which a single sample is followed over many years--is preferable to repeated cross-sectional samples--in which a…

Some form of a short interrupted time series (ITS) is often used to evaluate state and national programs. An ITS design with a single treatment group assumes that the pretest functional form can be validly estimated and extrapolated into the postintervention period where it provides a valid counterfactual. This assumption is problematic. Ambiguous…

Describes the National Assessment of Educational Progress Model and outlines and advocates its application in research on rural social studies. Notes its usefulness in assessment situations. Explains how the model will produce data descriptive of a target population and will permit the comparison of local and national results. (SB)

Scaling methodologies used in analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) surveys since 1984 are reviewed. The plausible values methodology developed for NAEP scale-score analyses is described in the contexts of item response theory and average response method scaling. Current NAEP research in scaling is discussed. (SLD)

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) of the National Center for Education Statistics offers the most comprehensive picture available of elementary and secondary schools in the United States. The value of the SASS would be even greater if information on districts and schools could be related directly to student outcomes. A relatively inexpensive…

With the view that social scientists conduct too little exploratory research, the author outlines the methods and attitudes of the exploratory analyst and describes the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) as a source of research data. Exploratory analysis, in which no paradigm is used, is contrasted with confirmatory research, which…

In studies involving matrix sampling on items, it is often the case that there are too few responses per individual to use latent trait item response models. A model is formulated wherein individual level variability appears as independent error within the cells of a cross classification of demographic variables. (JKS)

The phenomenon of simultaneous differential item functioning (DIF) amplification and cancellation and the role of the SIBTEST computer program in detecting it were studied. A variety of simulated test data was generated for this purpose. In addition, the following real test data were used: (1) American College Testing program data for 2,115 males…

Some unresolved methodological and philosophical issues in the assessment of performance trends are discussed as they relate to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). How to measure performance change while remaining responsive to advances in curriculum and the technology of assessment is a central dilemma. (SLD)