Garrett K. Mandeville

The Effect of Teacher Certification and Task Level on Mathematics Achievement.

Abstract In this study it was hypothesized that the degree of content area preparation of seventh grade mathematics teachers would differentially effect student performance as a function of the level of the mathematics tasks used to assess that performance. More specifically, students of high MATHPREP teachers were hypothesized to outperform those of low MATHPREP teachers on the higher level tasks. The sample consisted of over 9000 seventh grade students from 33 matched pairs of schools whose teachers differed on level of mathematics preparation. Aggregate measures of achievement for the students at each school on test items representing three ordered levels of thinking were obtained. The primary hypothesis was addressed using a single df interaction contrast and produced a statistically and practically significant result in the hypothesized direction. Implications for teacher preparation and the hiring practices of school administrators are considered.

The Relationship of Effective Schools Indicators and Changes in the Social Distribution of Achievement

ABSTRACT This study focused on school effectiveness in terms of changes in the distribution of achievement across socio‐economic status (SES) for a cohort of 9700 students as they progressed from grade 1 to grade 3. The achievement/SES link was operationalized as the standardized mean difference in achievement (EFFSIZE) between samples of high and low SES students for 165 schools. EFFSIZE measures in reading and mathematics were analyzed in an hierarchical linear model which allowed an assessment of the impact of 13 school characteristics on initial (grade 1) status and, more importantly, on trends over time. The results indicate that, on the average, low SES students are at an initial disadvantage relative to their high SES peers in both subjects and that the difference widens across the first three grades. True school variance in slopes was found in mathematics but not reading, a result consistent with previous research. The school characteristics, which included six indicators based on the effective sc...

An Investigation of the Effect of Sample Size and Specification Error on the Fit of Structural Equation Models

AbstractCovariance structure analysis provides a useful methodology to test hypotheses about competing structural models. The chi-square goodness of fit test is basically an appropriate test for model evaluation. However, methodologists are particularly concerned about the validity of the test to detect misspecified models in small samples. At the same time, there is the concern of rejecting models with reasonably good fit in large samples. The present Monte Carlo study examined the validity of the chi-square test in different instances of misspecification and sample size. The usefulness of the chi-square difference statistic to compare competing structures and improvement in fit is also addressed.

A Record Linking System for Research on School Improvement.

A computer algorithm which links student test records using information available on two files is described and data on its accuracy presented. During the past four years it has been used to match over 1.6 million student records for use in a statewide school reward program. The results indicate that after minimal editing about .18 percent of the computer matches were incorrect and .44 percent of the potential valid matches were missed. By comparison, matches based on unedited student ID numbers produced almost no mismatches (.06%) but missed about 6 percent of the possible matches. For many applications the computer error rates should be tolerable and, since the system utilizes extant data, it is clearly cost-effective. A number of additional areas of application are described.

The DAISEY Data System: A Computerized System to Support Longitudinal Research

This paper describes a computerized System (DDCS) for collecting test scores and other data which will be useful in determining how children perform as they progress through the South Carolina public school system. Records from various statewide testing programs are linked by the use of student name, birthdate, gender and ethnicity to a data set reflecting experiences in a preschool program. The capability to capture these test data will facilitate the evaluation of the preschool program. Trial runs based on the children in the study who entered the first grade during the 1985‐86 school year suggest that the DDCS has very low rates of mismatches and missed matches and that it is cost effective. Furthermore, it possesses other advantages relative to alternative methods of obtaining these data. Implications are drawn for research on child development and the evaluation of preschool intervention programs which are best addressed with longitudinal data bases.

A GATB Conversion Program.

test (raw) score-which results in 15 (converted) aptitude subscores. The 15 subscores are then reduced to nine aptitude scores by obtaining the appropriate sums. Having gone through this exercise in programming which, although quite simple, might cause the novice some problems, the writers wished to mention the availability of this program. An advantage which this program has in comparison to most conversion programs is that the conversion tables for the form used (A or B for IBM answer sheets) are generated within the program, so that the inconvenience of having this information on data cards and the possibility of these cards being improperly ordered are eliminated.