Designed to provide librarians, library administrators, and other interested persons with information organized to facilitate comparisons of libraries within the same library system, with comparable service populations, and with comparable expenditures, this publication contains information derived from the 1985 Annual Report/System Membership…

Describes a five-number summary which is a display of the minimum value, lower quartile, median, upper quartile, and maximum value. Indicates how to draw box plots as graphical representations of a five-number summary. (YP)

This teaching supplement from the U.S. Census Bureau is designed for educators in grades 5 through 12. The Bureau offers it as a way of addressing the needs and concerns of teachers as they attempt to include statistical information about the everyday world in an effort to meet new educational standards. The supplement is presented in order to…

Developed are simple recursion formulas for generating the exact distribution of the longest run of heads, both for a fair coin and for a biased coin. Discusses the applications of runs-related phenomena such as molecular biology, Markov chains, geometric variables, and random variables. (YP)

Presents an activity considering whether a difference exists in the age of Oscar winners. Describes how to draw a stem plot and a box plot as an example of implementing the recommendations of the NCTM Standards. Provides tables showing the name, movie titles, and ages of the Oscar winners since 1928. (YP)

Considers definitions of quantiles. Describes median and quartiles. Compares the usefulness of 3 different definitions of quartile using a computer program to simulate 500 quantiles on a sample of a fixed size. Five references are listed. (YP)

Describes classroom activities and shows that statistics is a practical tool for solving real problems. Presents a histogram, a stem plot, and a box plot to compare data involving class enrollments. (YP)

Describes five statistical simulation programs developed at Wichita State University--Coin Flip and Raindrop, which demonstrate the binomial, Poisson, and other related distributions; Optimal Search; QSIM; and RANDEV, a random deviate generation program. Advantages of microcomputers over mainframes and the educational uses of models are noted.…

Summarizes a simple design algorithm which identifies nested loops of equations which must be solved by trial-and-error methods. The algorithm is designed to minimize such loops, provides guidance to the selection of variables, and delineates the order in which systems of equations are to be solved. Examples are included. (TW)

Outlines differences between classical statistics and exploratory data analysis. Provides examples in the use of the exploratory techniques. (YP)

This manual is a first effort to begin to identify, describe, and develop procedures for assessing various aspects of digital reference service. Its overall purpose is to improve the quality of digital reference services and assist librarians to design and implement better digital reference services. More specifically, its aim is to: assist…

Wisconsin's guaranteed tax base equalization formula has no direct adjustment for the additional costs of educating poverty level pupils. This paper establishes the need for an adjustment and examines three measures (based on varying poverty definitions) to determine which provides the most equitable funding formula for educating poor children. (9…

Describes a class experiment where students search a hypothetical job market for jobs paying wages in a known range but with an unknown wage distribution. The experiment is divided into three "trials", each one introducing different variables (unemployment insurance, search costs, and recession). Includes experiment instructions and a…

Designed to assist school jurisdictions in interpreting their achievement test results, this report describes the achievement testing program in Alberta, Canada, and indicates the conditions for student exemption from testing. It explains the Grade 3 English Language Arts Achievement Test design and development, gives a description of the test…

This report consists almost entirely of tables that provide mean scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and College Board Achievement Tests for New York high school seniors in 1991 and summarize information that students have provided about their high school academic achievement and their personal backgrounds. Tables are based on the latest…