A necessary prerequisite to the operational use of item response theory (IRT) in any testing program is the investigation of the feasibility of such an approach. This report presents the results of such research for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Despite the fact that GMAT data appear to violate a basic assumption of the…

One of the most appropriate quasiexperimental approaches to compensatory education is the regression-discontinuity design. However, it remains underutilized, in part because of the need to clarify the link between the mathematical model and administrative decision-making. This paper explains the derivation of a program efficiency index congruent…

The feasibility of pre-equating, or establishing conversions from raw to scaled scores through the use of pretest data before operationally administering a test, was investigated for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Item-response theory based equating methods were used to estimate item parameters on SAT pretest data, instead of using final form…

Results of a three-year study to estimate the future supply and requirements for physicians, which was conducted by the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee (GMENAC), are summarized. The research methodology, which consisted of three mathematical models to project physician supply and requirements, is described, and 40…

In order to compose equivalent certification tests in the basic skills in reading, mathematics calculations and applications, and writing for high school graduation requirements, the San Jose Unified School District, California, used the Rasch computer program to arrive at the scaled difficulty level of test items. The procedure for achieving a…

The Consortium on Methodology for Aggregating Data in Educational Research was designed as a collaborative effort by research methodologists from economics, education and sociology. Consortium goals were to delineate what was known about the problems associated with the analysis of data from the multiple levels (pupil, teacher/classroom, school)…

This conference focuses upon various aspects of testing within a society, and upon technical advances in measurement. Philip H. DuBois's paper deals with China, a society dominated by tests, from 1115 BC--1905 AD. Donald W. Fiske discusses the effect of testing on the individual in modern America in his paper, "The Subject Looks at…

The development of computer-directed instruction in which the learning protocol is tailored to each student on the basis of his learning history requires a means by which the many different trajectories open to a student can be resolved. Such an optimization procedure can be constructed to reduce the long and costly calculations associated with…

TAILOR is a computer program that uses the implied orders concept as the basis for computerized adaptive testing. The basic characteristics of TAILOR, which does not involve pretesting, are reviewed here and two studies of it are reported. One is a Monte Carlo simulation based on the four-parameter Birnbaum model and the other uses a matrix of…

A study of underemployment, written as part of the development of a management information project (MISOE) for the Division of Occupational Education of the Department of Education in Massachusetts, the work represents the beginning of an effort to bring systematic, empirically based policy analysis to bear on problems of occupational education.…

The report presents an analysis of changes in childbearing plans of young women and the implications of these plans for understanding labor force behavior as well as predicting fertility levels of the population. Data used were derived from the National Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative survey of 5,000 young women born between…

This document, produced through an ESEA Title III grant, contains seven position papers on education evaluation from the standpoints of psychology, sociology, political science, business management, school administration, and computer science. The first paper summarizes the history of educational program evaluation and reviews current theories and…

Seven studies were undertaken to further extend the development and testing of an academically-oriented preschool program for disadvantaged children. The studies investigated (1) Curricula Development and Testing in Bereiter-Engelmann Program, (2) Dual Kindergarten, (3) Follow-Up Data on the Achievement of Disadvantaged Children Who Participated…

This research investigated the use of the Rasch simple logistic model in item and test calibration. Tests employing word, picture, symbol, and number analogies were administered to college students, high school students, civil service clerical employees, and clients of the Minnesota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The results suggest that…

A product of research first begun by one of the authors in Bangladesh, this book develops a comprehensive set of methods for planning technical education. Wherever possible, the authors draw on existing tools, fitting them to the specific context of technical education. When faced with planning problems for which existing methods are ill suited…