A study of underemployment, written as part of the development of a management information project (MISOE) for the Division of Occupational Education of the Department of Education in Massachusetts, the work represents the beginning of an effort to bring systematic, empirically based policy analysis to bear on problems of occupational education.…

A case study of the Suburban Library System (SLS) was conducted by applying an analytical library network model to data collected during March 1978. Models are developed for describing the intralibrary processing activities encountered at SLS and the other resource libraries in this case study. Alternative routing policies for referring requests…

False positive and false negative error rates were studied for competency testing when failing examinees are permitted to retake the test. Formulas are provided for the beta-binomial and Rasch models. Estimates based on these models are compared for six data sets from the South Carolina Basic Skills Assessment Program. (SLD)

The potential of item response theory (IRT) for solving a number of testing problems in the Maryland Functional Reading Program would appear to be substantial in view of the many other promising applications of the theory. But, it is well-known that the advantages derived from an IRT model cannot be achieved when the fit between an item response…

It is suggested that some of the technology applied to state Scholastic Aptitude Test scores to measure states' educational performance (particularly use of a truncated Gaussian model) may make it possible to adjust National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores to make inferences about state educational progress possible. (SLD)

Describes the New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge, a year-long project sponsored by New Mexico Technet, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and other statewide institutions that engages high school students, teachers, and professionals in complex scientific problem-solving that include written reports, mathematical models, and…

The 1986 scores from the Statewide Student Assessment Test-II, a minimum-competency test required for high school graduation in Florida, were placed on the scale of the 1984 scores from that test using five different equating procedures: (1) linear method; (2) Rasch model; (3) three-parameter item response theory (IRT)--concurrent method; (4)…

As part of an effort to reassess its enrollment forecasting methodology and techniques, the Florida Division of Community Colleges conducted a national survey of state directors of community/junior colleges to identify successful forecasting practices. A conceptual framework for analyzing responses was developed from a review of the literature on…

Two attempts to adjust state mean Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores for differential participation rates are examined. Both attempts are rejected, and five rules for performing adjustments are outlined to foster follow-up checks on untested assumptions. National Assessment of Educational Progress state data are determined to be more accurate.…

A stepwise regression technique was used to analyze assessment data while taking differences in nonschool variables across districts into account. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the inclusion of quadratic and/or interaction terms in a regression model would improve the prediction of school district average…

Guiding principles for using sliding fee scales are presented in this paper in an effort to help states plan new child care initiatives, coordinate or strengthen existing programs, and improve sliding fee scales for current programs. Introductory comments urge states to adopt a single sliding fee scale for all their child care programs. The report…

California Assessment Program's application of matrix sampling and item response curve theory to the scaling and reporting of state assessment data is described. It is designed to express educational outcomes in an efficient and interpretable form that is both immediately informative and suited to analysis over extended periods of time.…

The use of confirmatory factor analytic procedures to examine the dimensionality of writing skills as measured by a large-scale direct writing test was illustrated. Internal construct validity evidence about the nature of writing skills measured by the test was provided. Data used were scores assigned by about 100 trained professional raters on a…

This study investigated the feasibility of the use of the three-parameter item response theory (IRT) model in Florida's minimum competency testing program. The paper includes the following sections: (1) a description of the procedures currently being used by the assessment program, with an emphasis on procedures currently involving the Rasch…

A localized system for the evaluation of investment in vocational education in Ohio is described in this four part manual. Following an instruction introduction to the manual, part II provides a description of the analytical framework for this system. Vocational education is analyzed as an investment and an explanation of the criteria used in the…