A longitudinal item response model for Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) data from children with autism

Increased spending and decreased student performance have been attributed in part to teachers' unions and to the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) they negotiate with school boards. However, only recently have researchers begun to examine impacts of specific aspects of CBAs on student and district outcomes. This article uses a unique measure of contract restrictiveness generated through the use of a partial independence item response model to examine the relationships between CBA strength and district spending on multiple areas and district-level student performance in California. I find that districts with more restrictive contracts have higher spending overall, but that this spending appears not to be driven by greater compensation for teachers but by greater expenditures on administrators' compensation and instruction-related spending. Although districts with stronger CBAs spend more overall and on these categories, they spend less on books and supplies and on school board–related expenditures. In addition, I find that contract restrictiveness is associated with lower average student performance, although not with decreased achievement growth.

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A Simulation Study of Item Bias Using a Two-Parameter Item Response Model

Applied Psychological Measurement ◽

10.1177/014662168500900408 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 389-400 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Cynthia D. McCauley ◽

Jorge Mendoza

Keyword(s):

Item Response ◽

Simulation Study ◽

Item Bias ◽

Response Model ◽

Item Response Model ◽

Two Parameter

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Psychology of Computer Use: VIII. Utilizing a Nonparametric Item Response Model to Develop Unidimensional Scales: Mokscal

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1989.68.3.987 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 68 (3) ◽

pp. 987-1000 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Elisabeth Tenvergert ◽

Johannes Kingma ◽

Terry Taerum

Keyword(s):

Item Response ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Functional Form ◽

Search Procedure ◽

Response Model ◽

Scale Analysis ◽

Item Response Model ◽

Goodness Of Fit Test ◽

Item Coefficient ◽

Nonparametric Item Response

MOKSCAL is a program for the Mokken (1971) scale analysis based on a nonparametric item response model that makes no assumptions about the functional form of the item trace lines. The only constraint the Mokken model puts on the trace lines is the assumption of double monotony; that is, the item trace lines must be nondecreasing and the lines are not allowed to cross. MOKSCAL provides three procedures of scaling: a search procedure, an evaluation of the whole set of items, and an extension of an existing scale. All procedures provide a coefficient of scalability for all items that meet the criteria of the Mokken model and an item coefficient of scalability of every item. A test of robustness of the found scale can be performed to analyze whether the scale is invariant across different subgroups or samples. This robustness test may serve as a goodness-of-fit test for the established scale. The program is written in FORTRAN 77 and is suitable for both mainframe and microcomputers.

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