This paper reviews methods which have been used to identify and validate learning hierarchies. Specifically, three methods which reflect the notion of a relatively inviolate sequence are discussed and compared. Two of the psychometric methods compare pairs of skills, the ordering-theoretic method (Bart and Krus) and the test of inclusion (White…

The role that measurement error plays in the regression effect is discussed with particular reference to the RMC models for evaluating the effects of Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I programs. The norm referenced evaluation model assumes a theory of growth where the relative ranking of students remains the same from pretest to posttest…

Both an analysis of the sources of cost trends in libraries and the relationship of the prospective role of automation in library operations to the causes of cost trends and the predicted shortage of trained librarians are examined in the study of the economic structure of the library. Issues investigated are those particularly relating to current…

This is one of nine volumes describing the results of extensive research carried out by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) over a seven-year period. The overall aim of this extensive empirical study is to relate student competence to instructional, economic, and social factors which account for…

In order to determine if Rasch Model procedures have any utility for equating pre-existing tests, this study reanalyzed the data from the equating phase of the Anchor Test Study which used a variety of equipercentile and linear model methods. The tests involved included seven reading test batteries, each having from one to three levels and two…

Bayesian estimation procedures are summarized and numerically illustrated by means of simulation methods. Procedures of data generation for simulation purposes are also delineated and computationally demonstrated. The logistic model basic to the Bayesian estimation procedures is shown to be explicit with respect to the probability distribution…

Tries to develop a method for empirical evaluations of the impact of a school system on measurable cognitive and affective outcomes in students. Concentrates on the Partial Least Squares (PLS) methodology, and illustrates the potential of PLS for system analysis. (BW)

The usefulness of latent class modeling in addressing several measurement issues is demonstrated via a study of 74 good and 74 poor readers in grades 5 and 6. Procedures were particularly useful for assessing the hierarchical relation among skills and for exploring issues related to item domains. (SLD)

In the late 1970s, the Department of Defense requested that the reference population for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) be changed and updated to reflect the current youth population. Analyses of new data collected in 1980 indicated that speeded subtest scores of the new sample were atypically low and that the sample might…

The Rasch model for test analysis is described and compared with two-parameter and three-parameter latent-trait models. Conditional maximum likelihood equations for estimating item parameters are derived, and estimates of person parameters are described together with their confidence intervals. Goodness of fit tests are discussed, including a…

Latent trait model calibration procedures were used on data obtained from a group testing program. The one-parameter model of Wright and Panchapakesan and the three-parameter logistic model of Wingersky, Wood, and Lord were selected for comparison. These models and their corresponding estimation procedures were compared, using actual and simulated…

The extent, causes, and importance of context effects on item parameters for one- and three-parameter latent-trait models were examined. Items were taken from the California Achievement Tests Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Concepts and Applications subtests. The reading items were administered to 1,678 fourth-grade students, and the…

The norm-referenced evaluation model (RMC Model A) for Title I project evaluation, consists of procedures whereby the expected posttest standing of a treatment group under the null condition is generated from their pretest standing. It is assumed that the treatment group is not selected on the basis of their pretest scores and can be considered…

This study explores some techniques that could assist education managers in their attempt to arrive at more optimal input and output mixes. The first part (Chapters 1-4) provides an overview of the input-output concept in relation to its employment in the educational setting, along with a review of the literature on the educational production…

Many colleges and universities have claimed some degree of financial distress, have sought increased federal, state, and philanthropic assistance, and have agonized over predicted declines in youth demand for higher education. In response to these concerns, numerous cost studies have been conducted but little is known of the relative efficiency of…