The use of futures research to improve a college's ability to deal with changes brought about by social, economic, political, and technological developments is discussed, with attention to new planning strategies and forecasting methods. While traditional long-range planning tracks and forecasts the institution's internal development, strategic…

How accurately ability is estimated when the test model does not fit the data is considered. To address this question, this study investigated the accuracy of the maximum likelihood estimator of ability for the one-, two- and three-parameter logistic (PL) models. The models were fitted into generated item characteristic curves derived from the…

The utility of the Rasch logistic measurement model in longitudinal analyses of children's self-concept was investigated. Calibration of an 80-item self-concept measure from the responses of 1,000 elementary school children resulted in the identification of 25 items that fit the model. Repeated measures analyses of variance used to assess the…

Procedures and related issues involved in the application of trait-treatment interaction (TTI) to institutional research, in general, and to placement and proficiency testing, in particular, are discussed and illustrated. Traditional methods for choosing cut-off scores are compared and proposals for evaluating the results in the TTI framework are…

A latent trait method is presented to investigate the possibility that Angoff or Nedelsky judges specify inconsistent probabilities in standard setting techniques for objectives-based instructional programs. It is suggested that judges frequently specify a low probability of success for an easy item but a large probability for a hard item. The…

Confirmatory factor analysis is presented as providing appropriate techniques for the analysis and evaluation of questionnaires and tests if the content of the measure can be identified as consisting of groups of items, with each group measuring only a single trait. This approach is contrasted with latent trait theory which assumes (and does not…

The diffusion of three types of innovations in secondary schools in Canada are investigated: (1) program organization (time scheduling); (2) program content (courses for special students); and (3) physical environment (conservation measures). Analysis focused on the rate of innovations as estimated by a mathematical model of the adoption process,…

This document presents six chapters on four-dimensional geometry, whose titles are: (1) A Brief History; (2) What Is Four-Dimensional Geometry?; (3) Selected Drawings and Models; (4) How to Study the Configurations; (5) Selected Topics; and (6) Applications. The text, suitable for students in advanced levels of secondary school mathematics,…

The nine Reactor Statics Modules are designed to introduce students to the use of numerical methods and digital computers for calculation of neutron flux distributions in space and energy which are needed to calculate criticality, power distribution, and fuel burn-up for both slow neutron and fast neutron fission reactors. The diffusion…

Addition of fiscal response factors to the traditional simulation model of school finance demonstrates that the traditional model underestimates both the costs and impacts of state aid programs at the district level. The study reviews research on fiscal response--defined as school districts' taxing and spending behavior after receipt of state…

The purpose of the investigation was to obtain some relationships among (1) test lengths, (2) shape of domain-score distributions, (3) advancement scores, and (4) several criterion-referenced test score reliability and validity indices. The study was conducted using computer simulation methods. The values of variables under study were set to be…

Results are described for the first two phases of a study to develop and evaluate models of student progress in a technical training course being offered in a computer managed instructional environment at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado. Several categories of models were developed in Phase I and defined by model type and by the type of variables…

Path analysis, a technique related to multiple regression analysis is used for ascribing causal relationships among variables. Path analysis involves the construction of explicitly formulated causal models and makes the reasoning explicit in the form of path diagrams and structural equations. Regression analysis is then used to construct path…

The RMC Research Corporation evaluation model C1--the special regression model (SRM)--was evaluated through a series of computer simulations and compared with an alternative model, the norm referenced model (NRM). Using local data and national norm data to determine reasonable values for sample size and pretest posttest correlation parameters, the…

This collection of nine case studies in applied mathematics was written primarily for the use of the instructor by a Conference sponsored by the Committee on the Undergraduate Program in Mathematics (CUPM). Each chapter contains exercises of varying degrees of difficulty and several include student projects. The materials were used on a trial…