Equating Minimum-Competency Tests: Comparisons of Methods

The 1986 scores from Florida's Statewide Student Assessment Test, Part II (SSAT-II), a minimum-competency test required for high school graduation in Florida, were placed on the scale of the 1984 scores from that test using five different equating procedures. For the highest scoring 84 % of the students, four of the five methods yielded results within 1.5 raw-score points of each other. They would be essentially equally satisfactory in this situation, in which the tests were made parallel item by item in difficulty and content and the groups of examinees were population cohorts separated by only 2 years. Also, the results from six different lengths of anchor items were compared. Anchors of 25, 20, 15, or 10 randomly selected items provided equatings as effective as 30 items using the concurrent IRT equating method, but an anchor of 5 randomly selected items did not     

Aging in Suburbia: An Assessment of Senior Needs

To date, there have been no surveys focusing on older adults living in suburban communities. As the majority of American seniors reside in suburbia, it is important to understand factors that impede successful aging in these settings. This study surveyed 1,151 seniors to examine the needs of seniors living in a large suburban community across two counties in the northeastern United States. Specific areas of query included the following: transportation, health status, social support, self-sufficiency, and economic factors. Findings revealed that seniors over 85, minorities, those reporting poor health, and those who do not drive were at especially high risk of service access problems and social isolation.     

The transition to junior high school: a longitudinal study of self-esteem, psychological symptomatology, school life, and social support

This research examined the psychological well-being of 159 white and black students during the transition to junior high school. Adjustment patterns were found to be complex and highly differentiated. Self-esteem was unchanged from the end of sixth through the middle of seventh grades, rising by the end of seventh grade. Girls reported an increase in depressive and other symptoms over time relative to boys. Perceived quality of school life plunged. Peer social support increased only for blacks of high academic competence. Although there were no race differences on overall self-esteem, multivariate analyses of symptom data revealed that blacks reported greater distrust of the environment than they reported negative internal states, whereas whites reported the opposite pattern. The discussion emphasizes the developmental and ecological context of the transition.     

School choice and the search for an educational market

This article looks at attempts to create markets in schooling by increasing school choice, making particular reference to a study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of the impact of choice policies in six countries: Australia, England, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States. The main policies examined are subsidies to private schools and enhancement of choice between schools within the public sector. The article identifies five kinds of imperfection in school markets in practice: the failure of clear alternatives to present themselves to consumers; the arbitrariness of criteria for choosing; limits to capacity at popular schools; the failure of supply to diversify in response to consumer pressures and the existence of negative externalities. It is argued that these imperfections make it necessary to intervene to maximise the benefits and minimise the risks of school choice.

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Zusammenfassung Unter Bezugnahme auf eine Studie der OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development — Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung) beschreibt dieser Artikel Versuche, Märkte im Schulwesen durch erhöhte Schulauswahl zu schaffen. Die OECD-Studie beinhaltet die Auswirkungen der Auswahlpolitik in sechs Ländern: Australien, England, die Niederlande, Neuseeland, Schweden und die Vereinigten Staaten. Zu den wesentlichen hier untersuchten politischen Maßnahmen gehören Zuschüsse für private Schulen und die Förderung der Wahlmöglichkeiten bei öffentlichen Schulen. Der Artikel verweist auf fünf Mängel des Schulmarktes: fehlende klare Alterntiven für den Verbraucher, Willkür der Auswahlkriterien, Grenzen der Kapazitäten an populären Schulen, fehlende Diversifizierung als Antwort auf den Druck durch den Verbraucher und das Bestehen negativer äußerer Umstände. Der Autor argumentiert, daß diese Mängel ein gewisses Maß an Intervention benötigen, um Vorteile zu maximieren und die Risiken bei der Schulwahl so gering wie möglich zu halten.

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Résumé Cet article passe en revue les tentatives de création de marchés dans le domaine éducatif grâce à l'élargissement des possibilités de choix sur le plan de la scolarité. Il se fonde en particulier sur une étude menée par l'Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques (OCDE) analysant l'impact des politiques de choix dans six pays: l'Australie, l'Angleterre, les Pays-Bas, la Nouvelle-Zélande, la Suède et les Etats-Unis. Les principales politiques examinées sont les suivantes: subventions accordées aux écoles privées et plus grand choix entre les différentes écoles du secteur public. L'article révèle que, dans la pratique, les marchés scolaires présentent cinq imperfections: le manque d'alternatives clairement identifiables par le consommateur; le caractère arbitraire des critères de choix; les capacités limitées des écoles les plus désirées; l'absence d'une diversification répondant à la demande des consommateurs et l'existence de facteurs externes négatifs. Ces imperfections nécessiteraient une intervention pour optimiser les bénéfices et minimaliser les risques liés au choix scolaire.

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Sumario El artículo enfoca los intentos realizados para crear mercados en la educación mediante la elección de escuela y hace especial referencia a un estudio de la OCDE sobre el impacto de las políticas de elección en seis países: Australia, Inglaterra, Holanda, Nueva Zelandia, Suecia y los Estados Unidos. Las principales actividades examinadas son los subsidios a las escuelas privadas y el perfeccionamiento de la elección de escuela en el sector público. En el artículo se señalan cinco tipos de defectos presentes en la práctica: la carencia de diversidad en las ofertas presentadas a los consumidores, la arbitrariedad de los criterios de election, los límites de capacidad en escuelas popularies, la falta de respuestas a los deseos de los consumidores y la existencia de factores externos negativos. Aquí se aboga por una intervención, para maximizar los beneficios y minimizar los riesgos de la elección de escuela.

     

Multidimensional Equating

Equatings were performed on both simulated and real data sets using the common-examinee design and two abilities for each examinee (i.e., two dimensions). Item and ability parameter estimates were found by using the Multidimensional Item Response Theory Estimation (MIRTE) program. The amount of equating error was evaluated by a comparison of the mean difference and the mean absolute difference between the true scores and ability estimates found on both tests for the common examinees used in the equating. The results indicated that effective equating, as measured by comparability o f true scores, was possible with the techniques used in this study. When the stability o f the ability estimates was examined, unsatisfactory results were found.     

Overcoming institutional barriers to broad-based curricular change

Most large organizations, including universities, are fraught with institutional barriers to change. Their very structures can be impediments to the horizontal communication and cooperation necessary to effect broad-based innovation. U.S. automobile makers, however, are learning to overcome such structural obstacles to facilitate innovation. Can universities employ similar techniques? The recent experience of one regional university suggests important attributes of a successful model to facilitate curricular change.     

The PhD conundrum in South African academia

South African universities need more academics with PhDs, from historically disadvantaged population groups in particular, but they face a conundrum. In order to have more staff with PhDs, they need to produce more PhD graduates. But in order to produce more PhD graduates, they need more staff with PhDs to supervise. This article explores this conundrum by comparing academic qualifications with national policies and targets, by developing a quantitative profile of staff without PhDs and describing government and institutional measures to improve academic qualifications. An institution's supervisory capacity is found to be closely related to institutional history. Four main factors are identified: (a) whether or not the institution was originally established as a traditional university or as a technikon; (b) whether or not it was advantaged or disadvantaged under apartheid, which was closely related to the racial group for which it was established; (c) whether or not it was merged post 2004; and if so, (d) with what type of institution it was merged.     

Effects of Computer Algebra System (CAS) with Metacognitive Training on Mathematical Reasoning

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the differential effects of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) and metacognitive training on mathematical reasoning. Participants were 83 students (boys and girls) who studied algebra in four eighth‐grade classrooms randomly selected to four instructional methods: CAS embedded within metacognitive training (CAS +META), metacognitive training without CAS learning (META), CAS learning without metacognitive training (CAS) and CONT learning without CAS and metacognitive training (CONT). Results showed that the CAS +META condition significantly outperformed the META and the CAS conditions, who in turn significantly outperformed the CONT condition on aspects of mathematical reasoning. No significant differences were found between the META and CAS conditions. In addition, the study found that the metacognitive students (CAS +META and META conditions) outperformed their counterparts (CAS and CONT) on their metacognitive knowledge. This paper describes research whose main focus is the use of Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) in mathematics classrooms and the didactical possibilities based on the IMPROVE method linked with its use.Les effets du système d'algèbre par informatique (CAS) sur une formation métacognitive en raisonnement mathématique. Le but principal de la présente étude était d'explorer les effets différentiels du CAS et d'une formation métacognitive en raisonnement mathématique. Les participants étaient 83 élèves (garçons et filles) qui étudiaient l'algèbre dans les classes (eighth-grade) choisies au hasard avec 4 méthodes d'instruction. CAS enchassés à l'intérieur d'une formation métacognitive (CAS +META) métacognitive sans CAS (META), apprentissage CAS sans formation métacognitive (CONT) et apprentissage sans CAS + formation métacognitive (CONT). Les résultats ont montré que la formule CAS + META a surpassé de façon significative les formules META + CAS qui a leur tour ont surpassé la formule CONT quant aux aspects du raisonnement mathématique. Il n'y a pas de différences entre les formules META et CAS. De plus l'étude a montré que les élèves soumis aux conditions CAS +META et META ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats que leurs condisciples (CAS et CONT) quant à leurs connaissances métacognitives cet article décrit des recherches dont le but principal est l'utilisation du CAS dans les classes de mathématiques et les possibilités didactiques fondées sur la méthode IMPROVE à son usage.Wirkungen des Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) mit metacognitivem Training auf mathematisches Denken. Der Hauptzweck der gegenwärtigen Studie war, die unterscheidenden Wirkungen des Computer Algebra Systeme (CAS) und der metacognitiven Ausbildung auf mathematische Überlegung zu untersuchen. Teilnehmer waren 83 Studenten (Jungen und Mädchen), die Algebra in vier zufällig ausgewählten Klassen der achten Stufe in vier Unterrichtsmethoden studierten: CAS eingebettet in metacognitive Ausbildung (CAS + Meta), metacognitive Ausbildung ohne CAS (Meta), CAS Lernen ohne metacognitive Ausbildung (CAS) und CONT Lernen ohne CAS und metacognitive Ausbildung (CONT). Die Ergebnisse zeigten dass die CAS + Meta-Bedingung die Meta- und die CAS Bedingungen signifikant übertraf, die wiederum die CONT Bedingung bedeutend in Bezug auf Aspekte mathematischen Denkens überflügelten. Keine bedeutsamen Unterschiede wurden Zwischen den Meta und CAS Versionen wurden keine bedeutsamen Unterschiede gefunden. Außerdem ergab die Studie, dass die Studenten der metacognitiv unterrichteten Gruppe (CAS + Meta- und Metabedingungen) ihre Pendants (CAS und CONT) in Bezug auf ihr metacognitives Wissen übertrafen. Dieses Papier beschreibt Forschung, deren Hauptfokus auf der Verwendung von Computer Algebra Systemen (CAS) in Mathematikklassen ist und die didaktischen Möglichkeiten, die auf der mit ihrer Verwendung verbundenen IMPROVE Methode basieren.