This paper focuses on the questions which arise as test practitioners monitor score scales derived from latent trait theory. Large scale assessment programs are dynamic and constantly challenge the assumptions and limits of latent trait models. Even though testing programs evolve, test scores must remain reliable indicators of progress.…

This study investigates the extent to which the higher order factors of symbolic and semantic content are differentiated. The main concern is an expository description of the use of confirmatory factor analysis in establishing factorial validity. Reanalyzed data originally collected in 1968 involved a sample of 197 tenth, eleventh and twelfth…

When one encounters a problem that one has no adequate way of representing, a new mental model for the problem may have to be found. When a possible model is found, an important next step is to evaluate the validity of the model. In this document, examples of subjects finding and evaluating mental models used as problem representations are…

The 21 essays in this two-part book provide conceptual and operational understanding of the nature of models as representations of reality and as tools for description, analysis, interpretation, and forecasting. Topic areas addressed in part 1 (concept) include: the nature of models; the earth as a system; the determination of form; some…

A new technique has been developed for admitting new freshman students at the University of Washington. Previously, an Admissions Index (AI) was used, in which the high school grade point average (HSGPA) was assigned twice the weight of the composite verbal and quantitative scores from the Washington Pre-College Test Battery (WPC). To offset the…

The issues discussed in these four papers concern the validity and generalizability of classroom observation instruments. These issues have been studied and are reported here in an attempt to better define the limits to which classroom observation instruments can be used in researching relationships between teacher behavior and student outcome.…

This collection of documents promotes simulation as an attractive topic in mathematics instruction that provides game-like activities likely to interest pupils, by illustrating the important ideas of probability and showing how mathematical models can be used in practical problems clearly relevant to everyday life. While computer programs written…

Item response data were obtained from large samples of students in Grades K-community college, taking the following tests: Stanford Early School Achievement Test, Stanford Achievement Test, Stanford Test of Academic Skills, Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, and Stanford Diagnostic Mathematical Test. Data were classified as fitting or non-fitting…

THE PILOT CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY RESEARCH, OPERATED BY THE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FROM JUNE 1, 1967, THROUGH FEBRUARY 29, 1968, HAD THREE OBJECTIVES--(1) TO INVESTIGATE, ANALYZE, AND EXPERIMENT WITH METHODS, PROCEDURES, AND TOOLS FOR STUDYING THE FUTURE AS IT COULD AFFECT EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES, (2) TO FORECAST POSSIBLE…

THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS THE PAPERS PREPARED BY THE PILOT CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY RESEARCH STAFF WHICH ARE THE BASIC SOURCE MATERIAL SUMMARIZED IN PART 1 (ED 014 222). THESE PAPERS DESCRIBE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE CENTER IN DEPTH, TELL SOMETHING OF THE ASPIRATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE PROPOSED OPERATIONAL CENTER, AND CONTAIN THE FINDINGS…

An interdisciplinary course in problem solving, entitled "patterns of problem solving," and its unique peer program offered at the University of California, Los Angeles, are described. The emphasis in the subject matter and approach is to expose the student to the wide range of alternative problem solving techniques and to enable the…

Evaluations of social programs based upon quasi-experimental designs are typically plagued by problems of nonequivalence between the experimental and comparison group prior to the experiment. In such settings it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to isolate the effects of the program from the confounding effects associated with the…

The viability of Freeman's Recursive Adjustment Model as a management tool for explaining and predicting enrollments and the job market is examined using macro and micro cases. To establish a relationship between college attendance and the college job market, Freeman employed a 3-equation model to analyze the causative supply and demand…

This collection of nine papers, prepared for a conference held at Northwestern University in 1978, presents varied perspectives on applied problem solving. Assessing applied problem solving, planning for interest and motivation, developing a theory, reviewing research findings, considering learning disabilities, analyzing through information…

The effectiveness of a model for determining a minimal cut-off score for criterion-referenced tests was examined. The model, based upon techniques presented originally by Nedelsky and by Angoff, was first used in conjunction with a multiple choice test developed for use in certifying school counselors in Georgia. A "knowledge estimation panel" was…