Education Statistics

Research Project

Working through the Education Statistics Services Institute-Statistics (ESSI-Stat) and NAEP Education Statistics Services Institute (NESSI), NISS has convened a series of task forces to bring nationwide expertise to bear on problems of importance to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Previous topics include review of NCES Statistical Standards (2002), High School Graduation, Completion and Dropout Indicators (2004), US Participation in International Assessments (2004), Title IX Compliance (2004), Data Confidentiality (2006), Effect Sizes (2006), Computerized Adaptive Testing (2007), Non-Response Bias Analysis (2008), Full Population Estimates for NAEP (2009), Configuration and Data Integration for Longitudinal Studies (2009). Current topics include Maps and Graphics, Postsecondary Access and Choice, Projections and Tracing School Principals without Social Security Numbers.

Graduation, Completion and Dropout Rates - Stimulated by school performance assessments mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, NCES requested NISS to organize a task review to consider what dropout and completion statistics are needed for what purposes. NISS also reviewed existing NCES methodology for calculating dropout rates, examined criticisms that have been raised and considered alternative means for measuring dropouts and completers in terms of both school system needs and broader community-level needs.

NISS also worked on the OCR Data Manual, looking at a variety of statistical analyses of 132 cases dealing with possible violations of the Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which mandates equal opportunity for males and females to participate in intercollegiate athletics. Issues involved the nature of the institutions involved in the cases and the use of surveys to ascertain whether programs are appropriate to students' interests and abilities.

NISS was involved with the US Participation in International Assessments. US participation in international educational assessments is declining to the point that response rates do not meet NCES' statistical standards. The decline is expected to continue and accelerate. NISS organized a task force for NCES to make recommendations for improving participation rates in international assessments and to suggest new methods beyond the usual.

Papers:

de Leeuw, Jan, and Ita G. G. Kreft. "Questioning Multilevel Models." Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics 20, no. 2 (1995): 171-189. Abstract.

Shaffer, Juliet Popper. "Multiple Hypothesis Testing: A Review." Annual Review of Psychology 46 (1995): 561-584. Project: Large Education Data Sets

Williams, Valerie, Kathleen Billeaud, Lori A. Davis, David Thissen, and Eleanor E. Sanford. "Projecting to the NAEP Scale: Results from the North Carolina End-of-Grade Testing Program." Journal of Educational Measurement 35, no. 4 (1998): 277-296. Abstract.

Williams, Valerie S. L., Lyle V. Jones, and John W. Tukey. "Controlling error in multiple comparisons, with special attention to the national assessment of educational progress." Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics 24 (1999): 42-69. Abstract.

Karr, A. F. National Institute of Statistical Sciences/Education Statistics Services Institute Task Force on Graduation, Completion and Dropout Indicators: Final Report. US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, NCES, 2005. Project: Education

Sedransk, N. Task Force Report on Computer Adaptive Testing. National Center for Education Statistics, 2009. Project: Education

Karr, A. F. NISS/NESSI Task Force on Full Population Estimates for NAEP. National Institute of Statistical Sciences, 2009. Project: Education

Pauley, L., J. M. Kulikowich, N. Sedransk, and R. Engel. "Constructing mathematical and spatial-reasoning measures for engineering students." In Proceedings, American Society for Engineering Education., 2010. Project: Education

Sedransk, N., J. M. Kulikowich, R. Engel, X. Wang, P. Gunning, and A. Fleming. "Psychometric and Statistical Modeling for the Study of Retention and Graduation in Undergraduate Engineering." In Social Statistics and Higher Education Conference Volume., 2010. Project: Education

Karr, A. F. National Institute of Statistical Sciences Configuration and Data Integration for Longitudinal Studies Technical Panel: Final Report (2011).. US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, NCES, 2011. Project: Education

Pauley, L., J. Kulikowich, N. Sedransk, and R. Engel. "Studying the Reliability and Validity of Test Scores for Mathematical and Spatial Reasoning Tasks for Engineering Students." In Proceedings, American Society for Engineering Education., 2011. Project: Education

Kulikowich, J. M., and N. Sedransk. Current and emerging design and data analysis approaches. APA Handbook of Educational Psychology, American Psychological Association, Submitted. Project: Education

Technical Reports:

Technical Report 23: Multiple Hypothesis Testing: A Review

Technical Report 31: Questioning Multilevel Models

Technical Report 33: Controlling Error in Multiple Comparisons, with Special Attention to the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Technical Report 34: Projecting to the NAEP Scale: Results from the North Carolina End-of-Grade Testing Program

Technical Report 35: Perspectives on Statistics for Educational Research: Proceedings of a Workshop

Technical Report 65: Comparing Regression Coefficients Between Models: Concepts and Illustrative Examples

Technical Report 90: Accounting for Missing Data in Educational Surveys: A Workshop Report

Technical Report 102: Exploring Statistical Adjustment of Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Technical Report 121: Disclosure Risk vs. Data Utility: The R-U Confidentiality Map

Technical Report 126: NISS WebSwap: A Web Service for Data Swapping

Technical Report 131: Distortion Measures for Categorical Data Swapping