The extent to which properties of the ability scale and the form of the latent trait distribution influence the estimated item parameters of item response theory (IRT) was investigated using real and simulated data. Simulated data included 5,000 ability values randomly drawn from the standard normal distribution. Real data included the results for…

The American College Testing Program (ACT) and the Admission Testing Program of the College Entrance Examination Board are programs in which a large number of Albuquerque Public School (APS) students voluntarily participate. A summary of test data for participating APS students is provided here. For the 1981-82 school year, the scores of APS…

A method of approximating areas under curves in precalculus courses is described. (SD)

Curve stitching activities can be used to motivate calculus students. The problem described here involves showing that a given envelope of a curve is parabolic. (SD)

This paper describes an approach to item analysis that is based on the estimation of a set of response curves for each item. The response curves show, at a glance, the difficulty and the discriminating power of the item and the popularity of each distractor, at any level of the criterion variable (e.g., total score). The curves are estimated by…

Describes an easily-implemented experiment in which a moderately complex relation between dependent and independent variables is involved. (Author/GS)

This is the second edition of a curriculum guide for elementary school mathematics. It is one of a series intended to serve as a model for Alaskan school districts as they develop and review their curriculum documents. Listed are topics and concepts, learning outcomes and objectives, and sample learning activities. The learning activities are…

The technique developed in this research paper for analyzing the information in charts and graphs is designed to reveal design flaws in the display that may prevent them from conveying information effectively. This analytic scheme requires isolating four types of constituents in a display and specifying their structure and interrelations at the…

Introductory college level geography textbooks can be enhanced by using scatter diagrams and double criteria classifications, both of which reveal generalizations and specific facts about location. Scatter diagrams, a series of dots on a graph, illustrate relationships among phenomena that covary, e.g., national birth and infant mortality rates.…

Data on foreign student enrollment in public and private elementary and secondary schools are given for Manitoba, all other provinces, and Canada as a whole. Two tables and five computer-generated graphs present information by province or region on the number of foreign students (students holding valid student visas), percentage of foreign…

Research in visual communication suggests that relatively complex graphics stimulate viewer interest, while relatively simple graphics facilitate learning. A study was conducted to determine whether the graphics in two science publications ("Scientific American" and "Sciences 81") would be tailored to the ways in which their…

Instructional time to high proficiency or response time to high proficiency performance can be viewed as linearly related to the effective complexity of the task/display combination which is the essence of instruction or of performance. This proposition is concretely illustrated for bar graph-using performance of 4th and 6th graders who under most…

The effects of cursory preliminary directions on the use of numerical tables, bar graphs, and line graphs by 288 fourth and sixth graders were investigated. Participants received no directions, written directions only, or written directions with assistance where necessary. The undirected table and bar graph users performed moderately well. Their…

How often do our students long for black and white rather than the shades of grey that history generally presents us with? Understanding the Arab-Israeli conflict is all about understanding diversity and complexity in all their shades of grey. Alison Stephen, teaching in an immensely diverse school herself, is determined not to over-simplify the…

The use of computer graphics in an introductory statistics course is described. The advantages over more traditional diagrammatic representations are discussed and an outline is given of two computer-supported graphic display systems. A description is also provided of an experiment, designed to evaluate the influence of such graphic aids. (JP)