Data banks with items calibrated under an item response model can be used for the construction of tests. Mathematical programming models like the Maximin Model are formulated for computerized item selection from a bank. In this paper, mathematical programming models based on the Maximin Model are proposed for the construction of weakly parallel…

This paper is the final report of a multi-year project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1987 through 1990. The main objectives of the research summarized were to: investigate the non-parametric approach to the estimation of the operating characteristics of discrete item responses; revise and strengthen the package computer…

The planning and management of educational systems has been examined widely in the last decades despite the lack of a standard research method and a unified underlying theory. Research based on quantitative analysis yields data that may be processed using the graphic capabilities of computers. The combination of numerical data and computer…

The purposes of this study are to examine the factorial invariance of responses by preadolescent males and females to a multidimensional self-concept instrument, and to demonstrate the use of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Sets of responses by 500 males and by 500 females were each randomly divided in half to form four groups (M1, M2, F1, and…

A previous study of pre-equating the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) using item response theory provided unacceptable equating results for SAT-mathematical data. The purpose of this study was to investigate two possible explanations for these unacceptable pre-equating results. Specifically, the calibration process, which made use of the…

Item analysis data fitting the normal ogive model were simulated in order to investigate the problems encountered when applying the three-parameter logistic model. Binary item tests containing 10 and 35 items were created, and Monte Carlo methods simulated the responses of 2,000 and 500 examinees. Item parameters were obtained using Logist 5.…

Research on the psychological processes involved in early school arithmetic has now accumulated sufficiently to make it possible to construct a coherent account of the changing nature of the child's understanding of number during the early school years. This monograph presents an account of how number concepts are extended and elaborated as a…

The school spending model described in this report involves institutions and information based on the following reasoning. Where education spending must be approved by referenda, the school board seeks to obtain as large a budget as possible. Voters have to approve the budget proposal or accept the "reversion" level of spending--that…

A study involving 103 male and 117 female students entering a major urban university assessed the interaction between test anxiety and skill deficits. The effects of prior achievement and test anxiety on performance on two competency exams were also examined. Instruments consisted of minimum competency tests for reading comprehension and…

This project was designed to: (1) examine the use of the computer as a tool for simulation; (2) let students gather data, analyze hypotheses, and explore algorithms; and (3) explore the potential of high resolution graphics and large memory that will characterize the microcomputers of the 1980s. Prototypes for three different computer-based…

The main purposes of the seminar were to examine the present status of school mathematics problem solving; to explore classroom practice and what is known about research; to compare the situations appearing in textbook word problems; and to make plans for cross-cultural research in both countries. A paper from each country was presented during the…

Because analyses of reaction-time data are sensitive to aberrant observations and violations of statistical assumptions, a new approach is suggested. In this empirical approach, one applies the same criteria to the problem of selecting a statistical method as one uses to select among alternative experimental procedures. Six criteria are presented…

Research was conducted investigating properties of skill in learning, in the domain of elementary algebra. Thinking-aloud protocols indicate that early knowledge of the subjects studied was fragmentary, rather than involving systematically flawed procedures. Computational models, developed to simulate observed errors, focused on the role of…

Studies carried out over a 12-year period addressed fundamental questions on the use of Rasch-based item banks. Large field tests administered in grades 3-8 of reading, mathematics, and science items, as well as standardized test results were used to explore the possible effects of many factors on item calibrations. In general, the results…

A reanalysis was conducted of Saunier's research (1985) on sources of variation in the National Research Council (NRC) reputational ratings of university faculty. Saunier conducted a stepwise regression analysis using 12 predictor variables. Due to problems with multicollinearity and because of the atheoretical nature of stepwise regression,…