Interest in Student Growth Modeling (SGM) and Value Added Modeling (VAM) arises from educators concerned with measuring the effectiveness of teaching and other school activities through changes in student performance as a companion and perhaps even an alternative to status. Several formal statistical models have been proposed for year-to-year…

This study discusses and presents an example of a use of spline functions to establish and report test scores using a moderated system of any number of cut scores. Our main goals include studying the need for and establishing moderated standards and creating a reporting scale that is referenced to all the standards. Our secondary goals are to make…

There are relatively few examples of quantitative approaches to quality control in educational assessment and accountability contexts. Among the several techniques that are used in other fields, Shewart charts have been found in a few instances to be applicable in educational settings. This paper describes Shewart charts and gives examples of how…

Although they test somewhat different hypotheses, analysis of gain scores (or its repeated-measures analog) and analysis of covariance are both common methods that researchers use for pre-post data. The results of the two approaches yield non-comparable outcomes, but since the same generic data are used, it is possible to transform the test…

Suggests the routine use of replications in field studies, pointing out that it is usually possible to synthesize replications quantitatively using meta-analysis. Makes the c ase that this is especially attractive for investigators whose research paradigm choices are limited in the field environment. (SLD)

Discusses the common sections of a research report and describes some frequently made mistakes. The emphasis is on reports prepared for scholarly, peer-reviewed publication, but the points are applicable to other forms of research reports. (SLD)