ASCAL is a microcomputer-based program for calibrating items according to the three-parameter logistic model of item response theory. It uses a modified multivariate Newton-Raphson procedure for estimating item parameters. This study evaluated this procedure using Monte Carlo Simulation Techniques. The current version of ASCAL was then compared to…

This survey updates a 1976 survey conducted by the Division for Library Services of Wisconsin. The original survey obtained broad information on patterns of participation in cooperative activities by all types of libraries, including volume demands, referral patterns, and needs for interlibrary loan and reference between different types of…

The factors that determine course completion and achievement in college distance education were investigated using a sample of 25 courses offered through the Independent Learning Program at the Pennsylvania State University. The main objective was to develop a multivariate model to explain and predict outcomes of distance education. Additional…

This report presents the results of research conducted to determine the current state of the art of robotics/automated systems technician (RAST) training offered in the United States. Section I discusses the RAST curriculum project, of which this state-of-the-art review is a part, and offers a RAST job description. Section II describes the…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) kit is based partially on the results of a fall, 1984 survey of the 117 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members to determine the extent to which they have reorganized staff and the role played by automation in planning organizational change. Particular attention was paid to the integration…

The effectiveness of an Education Consolidation Improvement Act Chapter 1 program was studied in a large urban school district. A common problem in evaluating remedial programs is that pretest/posttest achievement gains often indicate the effects of the entire curriculum, rather than those specific to the remedial class. In this district, over…

Public libraries are currently the conduit for local, state, and federal funds used to support reference referral and other reference-related functions in California. Given potential funding constraints, this 5-month study expanded its original scope--to assess the cost effectiveness and efficiency of the Bay Area Reference Center (BARC) and the…

The materials described here represent the conversion of a highly popular student workbook "Sets, Probability and Statistics: The Mathematics of Life Insurance" into a computer program. The program is designed to familiarize students with the concepts of sets, probability, and statistics, and to provide practice using real life examples. It also…

This report presents a compilation of national statistics on the not-for-profit and commercial arts fields and is intended to serve as a reference book for arts statistics. The focus is on nationally representative data collected through research efforts and donations of statistical information by arts related organizations. The statistics are…

The standards for accreditation of public schools, adopted by the Arkansas State Board of Education, required the development of these course content guides. The standards also required that essential skills be identified for each course taught in the public schools of Arkansas. Committees of classroom teachers, curriculum specialists, principals,…

In 1983 a number of reports were issued calling for the reform of elementary and secondary education in the United States. This paper describes a methodology for a study that will compare and contrast reliable information across the southeastern states about the implementation of actual reform initiatives, using a framework of 41 major categories…

The Sequential Mathematics Sequence provides an integrated course of study for grades 9-11 in New York City. This document presents lesson plans for part one of the first-year course, designed for ninth grade. The curriculum interweaves algebra, geometry, logic, probability, statistics, and trigonometry, with the emphasis in the 60 lessons in this…

In response to the increasing importance of student performance in required classes, research was conducted to compare two prediction procedures, linear modeling using multiple regression and nonlinear modeling using AID3. Performance in the first college math course (College Mathematics, Calculus, or Business Calculus Matrices) was the dependent…

This document is part 3 of a three-part report entitled "National Survey of Fringe Benefits in Public Schools, 1987-88." This volume reports fringe benefits received by teachers for the 1987-88 school year in the 944 school systems that responded to the survey. The survey provides information on compensation, leave provisions, group insurance…

Designed to provide information of value in establishing a base for decisionmaking in the Yosemite Community College District (YCCD), this assessment atlas graphically presents statistical data on the District as a whole, its two campuses, and YCCD Central Services for 1982-83. After an introduction to the use of the assessment atlas and…