The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using multidimensional items in a computer adaptive test (CAT) setting which assumes a unidimensional item response theory (IRT) framework. Previous research has suggested that the composite of multidimensional abilities being estimated by a unidimensional IRT model is not constant…

Newman (1984) examined the causal relations between math self-concept and math achievement in an 8-year longitudinal study using Linear Structural Relations (LISREL) analyses. He concluded that math self-concept did not influence subsequent math achievement. However, the study suffered in that math self-concept was inferred from a single-item…

This study compared student performance on language-usage test items presented in two different formats: as discrete sentences and as items embedded in passages. American College Testing (ACT) Program's Assessment experimental units were constructed that presented 40 items in the two different formats. Results suggest item presentation may not…

A method for drawing inferences from complex samples is based on Rubin's approach to missing data in survey research. Standard procedures for drawing such inferences do not apply when the variables of interest are not observed directly, but must be inferred from secondary random variables which depend on the variables of interest stochastically.…

In light of the current increase in elementary and secondary school attendance coupled with a simultaneous decrease in college-age population between now and the end of the decade, this study assesses (1) the role of economic factors in determining the number of teachers certified and (2) the responsiveness of teachers in the "reserve pool" to…

These materials on geometric probability are the first unit in a course being developed by the Mathematics Department at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. This course is designed to prepare high school students who have completed Algebra 2 for the variety of math courses they will encounter in college. Assuming only a knowledge…

To correct for the effects of measurement error on structural parameter estimates, many researchers are now estimating models of educational achievement with LISREL. In order to estimate such models it is desirable to obtain multiple manifest measures of the latent constructs. Many researchers restrict their models to two manifest measures per…

This paper examines the sample-free test calibration claim, derived from Rasch's structural model for test items, by comparing item difficulty and log ability estimates between different samples of ability levels. Three tests from the Ball Aptitude Battery--Inductive Reasoning, Paper Folding; and Vocabulary--were administered to three samples of…

A loglinear item response theory (IRT) model is proposed that relates polytomously scored item responses to a multidimensional latent space. Each item may have a different response function where each item response may be explained by one or more latent traits. Item response functions may follow a partial credit model (D. Andrich, 1978; and G. N.…

Several models for optimizing incomplete sample designs with respect to information on the item parameters are presented. The following cases are considered: (1) known ability parameters; (2) unknown ability parameters; (3) item sets with multiple ability scales; and (4) response models with multiple item parameters. The models are able to cope…

A multivariate modeling approach was developed to assess the impact of changes in aptitude requirement minimums on U.S. Air Force technical training outcomes. Initially, interviews were conducted with technical training personnel to identify significant student inputs, course content, and training outcome variables. Measures of these variables…

Policy Analysis and Simulation System (PASS) is an interactive microcomputer model that can be used by educational administrators, policy-makers, and planners to simulate and forecast, under conditions of environmental uncertainty, the impact of strategic policies on the projected trends and goals of educational performance. PASS generates…

The value-added model is presented as a method of assessing the impact of treatments in pretest-posttest quasi-experimental designs. The model yields a projection of treatment group performance at posttest time with no special treatment. The difference between the expected result and the actual outcome is "the value added," a measure of…

This document looks at specific applications of calculus to engineering. It is noted that for an automobile traveling at constant speed, the mathematical relationship between the directional heading and the angular deflection of the steering wheel can be calculated with respect to time. An analysis is presented which derives the relationship from…

Two approaches for conceptualizing and estimating a contextual model for analyzing student achievement are the separate equation approach and the single equation approach. The separate equation method determines the relationship between the individual-level independent variable and the individual-level dependent variable within each group. It then…