Objective cost estimates for planning and operating systems should be made after an assessment of administrative factors (school environment) and instructional factors (learning objectives, type of presentation). Specification of appropriate sensory stimuli and the design of alternative systems also precede cost estimations for production,…

Beginning with preevaluation and ending with postevaluation procedures, this publication addresses the entire process of evaluation of a secondary school by an accrediting association such as the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. It attempts to provide insights into conducting preliminary steps, doing a self-evaluation,…

Recent developments in econometrics that are relevant to the task of estimating costs in higher education are reviewed. The relative effectiveness of alternative statistical procedures for estimating costs are also tested. Statistical cost estimation involves three basic parts: a model, a data set, and an estimation procedure. Actual data are used…

This report examines in detail the cost-estimating model developed for a study of reading-program costs, undertaken as part of a large-scale evaluation of compensatory reading programs. Results of the cost-analysis were presented in a separate report. Here, the confidence which can be placed in the cost-assessment model is evaluated in terms of…

Adequacy studies based on cost functions have come under attack. A recent Texas court battle featured two cost function studies that reached markedly different conclusions about the additional funding needed to meet designated performance goals. Some critics see such disparities as indicators of a general futility in the whole education cost…

This report re-evaluates evidence on the issue of age ranges served of handicapped children in Illinois schools, analyzes additional research on the issue, and estimates the cost that would be incurred if the current 3-21 year range were to be lowered to birth. A literature review addresses two broad areas: the identification and effectiveness of…

This document is volume two of a two-part report on a project designed to develop instruments and procedures for evaluating and assessing the status of vocational education facilities in Indiana. Volume 2 contains seven appendixes of charts, tables, and other related information which accompany the technical report found in volume 1. Appendixes…

This report gives a managerial overview of the Life Cycle Cost Impact Modeling System (LCCIM), which was designed to provide the Air Force with an in-house capability of assessing the life cycle cost impact of weapon system design alternatives. LCCIM consists of computer programs and the analyses which the user must perform to generate input data.…

Based on a series of workshops, this collection of papers provides a framework for thought--emphasizing planning within time, flexibility, and maintenance constraints--as well as a practical guide for actual engineering of remodeling/renovation/conversion projects. Is remodeling always less expensive than new construction? Should high initial…

The Standards and Goals Project has undertaken cost analysis of halfway houses in order to analyze and estimate the costs of implementing correctional standards, and to provide cost guidelines and cost estimation techniques for use by jurisdictions. The first volume: (1) provides a brief background on the Corrections Standards relating to halfway…

Researchers interested in studying the frequency of events or behaviors among a population must rely on count data provided by sampled individuals. Often, this involves a decision between live event counting, such as a behavioral diary, and recalled aggregate counts. Diaries are generally more accurate, but their greater cost and respondent burden…

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for a mathematics review course of basic number concepts focused on helping participants understand the meaning of numbers and arithmetic operations. Strategies are provided for increasing accuracy when doing computations with whole numbers, decimals, and percents.…

Comparing or estimating the costs of educational projects by merely using cost-per-student figures is imprecise and ignores area differences in prices. The resource approach to cost analysis begins by determining specific physical resources (such as facilities, staff, equipment, materials, and services) needed for a project. Then the cost of these…

The curriculum guide for air conditioning/refrigeration is one of five guides written and field tested in a project to develop statewide articulated competency-based curricula in selected vocational education programs. Two separate curricula, one for the vocational-technical level and one for the associate degree level, are presented. The six…

Software Effort Estimation is one of the most challenging aspects in the software development life cycle. Recent empirical studies in the area of software development estimation indicate the presence of two models for effort estimation: (i) Formal, and (ii) Expert Based (Informal). The IT sector in Palestine is one of the most promising and…