The administrative and political ramifications of a form of multiple matrix sampling where all students in the population are tested on a subtest is discussed in the context of a statewide testing program. The conclusion is drawn that large-scale testing programs will have to adopt a testing framework which samples items from the total item domain…

Grouping is a statistical procedure through which members of the same group are considered as a single unit of observation. There are methodological and inferential problems associated with various grouping procedures in various settings. This extensive paper focuses on making inferences about individuals when the analysis uses data that is…

The problem of selecting the size of the tails from a sample drawn from a distribution of test scores for item analysis study is discussed. (Author)

Randomization should be employed whenever possible but the use of carefully controlled nonrandomized data to estimate causal effects is a reasonable and necessary procedure in many cases. (Author/BJG)

When a correlation is taken in a sample in which the range of the variables being correlated is limited, it is often desired to apply the correlation to groups with different ranges for the variables. In such situations, a correction for restriction of range (more precisely, restriction of standard deviation) may be necessary. Considered in this…

Aromatic solvents possess the strongest solvency of the hydrogen types, but various air pollution control districts have established maximum limits on the amount that may be present in organic coatings. In the proposed procedure, high efficiency liquid chromatography is used to determine total aromatics in enamels and lacquer thinners, their…

Vapors of trichloroethylene, toluene, methyl ethyl ketone, and butyl cellosolve in air were collected using Scotchpac and Tedlar bags, glass prescription bottles, and charcoal adsorption tubes. Efficiencies of collection are reported. (Author/RH)

The determination of hydrogen sulfide in effluents from coal-fired furnaces and incinerators is complicated by the presence of sulfur oxides (which form acids). Organic compounds also may interfere with or prevent the formation of the cadmium sulfide precipitate or give false positive results because of reaction with iodine. The report presents a…

When performing large scale evaluations (e.g., on a state-wide or national level) it may not be possible to administer all items in the item universe to all respondents in the subject population. One method which has been proposed to sample both items and respondents is multiple matrix sampling (MMS) in which a sample of the items is administered…

Distributional characteristics of the measure of sampling adequacy (MSA) were investigated in sample correlation matrices generated from multivariate normal populations with covariance matrix equal to the identity. Systematic variation of sample size and number of variables resulted in minimal fluctuation of the overall MSA from .50. (Author/RC)

Compares the harmonic mean and Kramer unequal group forms of the Tukey test for various: (a) degrees of disparate group sizes, (b) numbers of groups, and (c) nominal significant levels. (RC)

Shoemaker's conclusions related to the influence of various data base characteristics (reliability, variability of item difficulty indices, and degree of skewness in the normative distribution) on the standard error of a mean estimated via multiple matrix sampling procedures are examined. (Author/RC)