The main purpose of this study was to illustrate a polytomous IRT-based linking procedure that adjusts for rater variations. Test scores from two administrations of a statewide reading assessment were used. An anchor set of Year 1 students' constructed responses were rescored by Year 2 raters. To adjust for year-to-year rater variation in IRT…

A study was conducted to examine the effects of structured interactions in conferences and journals on the cognitive complexity of adult educators. The specific focus was the effects of the use of specific dialogue patterns within reflective conversations and of structured response patterns in journals on the cognitive processes of mentors and…

Predicted and actual scores on subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) and the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised (WRAT-R) were obtained from 40 normally achieving postsecondary students (NA) and 92 adult students with learning disabilities (LD). LD students had major deficits in reading-related areas. It was…

The papers were presented at the Social Statistics Section, the Government Statistics Section, and the Section on Survey Research Methods. The following papers are included in the Social Statistics Section and Government Statistics Section, "Overcoming the Bureaucratic Paradigm: Memorial Session in Honor of Roger Herriot": "1995…

The Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) has made it possible to develop comprehensive profiles of the nation's public and private schools and teachers and principals and to study issues of teacher supply and demand. The planned switch to a 5-year cycle of data collection provides a good time to re-examine the survey's design. This paper focuses on…

This booklet reports the findings of a study that focused on the well-being and lifestyle of 479 families of children (ages 2-17) with Down syndrome (DS) in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. A comparative study of families of typical children in the Nordic countries was also done. The results of the study indicate that bringing up a…

The psychometric research done by G. Rasch between 1951 and 1959, which is explained and illustrated in this book, takes psychometrics from being purely descriptive to being a science of objective measurement. Individual centered statistics require models in which each individual is characterized separately and from which, given adequate data,…

This videotape contains a series of presentations by Benjamin D. Wright of the University of Chicago about the Rasch model and measurement in testing. The first presentation is excerpts from a workshop held in 1974 for educators from the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools and the Oregon Department of Education. Dr. Wright's lectures were part of a…

A study involving eight boys with autism and eight boys with Down syndrome (ages 6-10) with similar adaptive behavior levels used an ecological approach to study the in-depth structure of the behavior stream. Narrative records were collected and analyzed based on duration and frequency of behaviors. Each record was analyzed by marking the behavior…

College radio is quite often viewed as the true alternative to commercial radio. However, what is alternative radio and how does college radio factor into the ideal? To further understand this concept, this paper focuses on the role of alternative programming in college radio. Areas discussed include alternative radio as a non-mainstream form of…

This book presents 15 essays that consider writing development from many different angles, creating a collage that focuses on how to help students develop into competent writers. The first section of the book consists of four chapters on how to support young writers. In the second section, the essays explore how a variety of issues influence…

This book addresses reading issues pertaining to college students at all levels, and is envisioned as an essay collection of interest to educators involved with college reading, as well as those in other disciplines. Section 1 (Perspectives) presents 4 essays, which describe how college readers perceive reading and writing: "'Josh': Case…

This book is designed to help teachers choose literature and create instructional materials for use with elementary and middle school students. The book offers teachers a number of instructional ideas to work with and to introduce them to children's texts that should be welcome in the classroom--some of this literature will be familiar to…

Issues-centered curriculum is an anomaly within the social studies classroom, most often overshadowed by the dominant framework that includes teacher-centered, textbook-driven, subject-focused lessons. An instructor of social studies methods chose to break with the content-dominant tradition and introduce issues-centered social studies to the…

Current articles on the power and influence of children's literature on primary children's literacy development and achievement were reviewed. Research indicates that literature has a positive effect on the academic achievement of children and that literacy skills are essential components of academic success. Children who have been exposed to…