This study examines the effect varying models have on student understanding of fractions. The study addressed the question of what students know and understand about fractional concepts through the use of discrete and continuous models. A sample of 54 students in kindergarten and 3rd grade were given an interview pretest, participated in…

The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy of indirect trait estimates, i.e., estimates of some primary trait obtained from a second measure which have been equated to the first. The California Achievement Test in Reading was the primary measure and the Prescriptive Reading Inventory was the indirect measure. Four kinds of…

For many reasons, students do not always perform on tests in ways that are congruent with their true abilities or achievement levels. Problems of this sort may be especially common on Title I evaluations where the tests administered are too difficult for a large percentage of the students. Such considerations raise the questions of whether…

The validity of the equipercentile hypothesis of the Title I Evaluation and Reporting System norm-referenced evaluation model was examined using 3,224 seventh- and ninth-grade students. Findings from confidence interval procedures contradicted the equipercentile hypothesis. There was a pattern of large gains for students not receiving any special…

This paper presents parallel estimates of structural equation models to explain children's educational attainment over first grade. One set of estimates is based on a 3-school sample drawn in 1971-77 and another on a 20-school sample drawn in 1982-83. The evidence suggests that, within reasonable limits, results are comparable. (Author/JAZ)

Standard procedures for estimating item parameters in Item Response Theory models make no use of auxiliary information about test items, such as their format or content, or the skills they require for solution. This paper describes a framework for exploiting this information, thereby enhancing the precision and stability of item parameter…

The extent, causes, and importance of context effects on item parameters for one- and three-parameter latent-trait models were examined. Items were taken from the California Achievement Tests Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Concepts and Applications subtests. The reading items were administered to 1,678 fourth-grade students, and the…

Two methods of reading instruction (homogeneous grouping and graded classes) are compared for 165 students in 8 rural North Dakota schools by raw gain scores, residual gain scores, and the analysis of covariance. (CK)