The goal of the current study was to introduce a new stopping rule for computerized adaptive testing (CAT). The predicted standard error reduction (PSER) stopping rule uses the predictive posterior variance to determine the reduction in standard error that would result from the administration of additional items. The performance of the PSER was…

Data from the ALEKS-based placement program at the University of Illinois is presented visually in several ways. The placement exam (an ALEKS assessment) contains precise item-specific information and the data show many interesting properties of the student populations of the placement courses, which include Precalculus, Calculus, and Business…

Recently, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) completed a study to connect the scale of the North Carolina State End of Grade (EOG) Testing Program used for North Carolina's mathematics and reading assessments with NWEA's Rausch Interval Unit (RIT) scale. Information from the state assessments was used in a study to establish…

The annual Student Outcomes Survey collects information on the outcomes of two groups of students--those that have completed a qualification (graduates) and those that have completed only part of a course and then left the vocational education and training (VET) system (module completers). At the time of selecting the survey sample, insufficient…

The sense that replicability is an important aspect of empirical science led Killeen (2005a) to define "p[subscript rep]," the probability that a replication will result in an outcome in the same direction as that found in a current experiment. Since then, several authors have praised and criticized 'p[subscript rep]," culminating…

We administered two instruments designed to assess and predict teacher effectiveness, the TeacherInsight Interview (TI) and the Renaissance Teacher Work Sample (TWS), to student teachers (N = 396) at a large comprehensive institution in the Southeastern United States to investigate whether TWS performance predicts TI scores. We first investigated…

This paper describes the diffusion of Moodle within Cherokee County Schools. The diffusion is evaluated using the Bass Model and the RIPPLES model in order to evaluate relative success or failure. The Bass Model of Diffusion was calculated utilizing forecasting by analogy in order to analyze the adoption rates in a county high school. The adoption…

In textbooks, foreign (second) language reading proficiency is often evaluated through comprehension questions. In case, authentic texts are used as reading material, such questions should be prepared by teachers. However, preparing appropriate questions may be a very demanding task for teachers. This paper introduces a method for automatically…

Analyzes the implicit requirements for achieving reliable results from holistic ratings of writing samples and argues that these conditions bring the validity of the ratings into doubt. (HOD)

A strategy is proposed for conceptualizing moderating relationships based on their type (strictly correlational and classically correlational) and form, whether continuous, noncontinuous, logistic, or quantum. Results of computer simulations comparing three statistical approaches for assessing moderator variables are presented, and advantages of…

A procedure enabling 19 adolescents/adults with profound mental retardation to express food and drink preferences was evaluated. Results indicated that active choice making occurred, and caregiver opinion was not predictive of participant preferences. Choices made using the procedure were similar to choices made when less structured opportunities…

This paper proposes a new analysis of consumption inequality using relational methods, derived from network images of social structure. We combine structural analysis with theoretical concerns in consumer research to propose a relational theory of consumption space, to construct a stratification indicator, and to demonstrate its analytical…

Support for the validity of the equipercentile assumption is presented in contrast with the conclusion of Powers, Slaughter, and Helmick (EJ 289 091). Observed "gains" from pre- to posttests are better attributed to stakeholder bias, posttests that match curriculum content too closely, or a combination of these factors. (Author/DWH)

A three-year study yielded data on the characteristics and progress of 44 preschool children with developmental delays of uncertain etiology. Findings support the use of traditional developmental tests for assessing developmental status. Analyses across time suggest that three assessments are needed before confident prediction is possible about…

This study, in which 237 blind persons were administered the Comprehensive Vocational Evaluation System (CVES), found that the CVES was significantly able to predict subjects' vocational placement and independent living levels as determined by rehabilitation personnel. (Author/DB)