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An empirical investigation of two variance estimation procedures for use with criterion‐referenced tests
Author(s) -
Pellegrini A. D.,
Long J. V.,
Horwitz S. H.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6807(198101)18:1<93::aid-pits2310180118>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - standard deviation , statistics , estimation , variance (accounting) , standard error , mathematics , test (biology) , population , psychology , econometrics , medicine , engineering , paleontology , accounting , systems engineering , environmental health , business , biology
This study investigated two procedures for estimating the population standard deviation of nonnormed tests. Two normed tests, both whose population standard deviation was known, were administered to 272 students in grades 3–6. One of the normed tests was treated as a criterion‐referenced test; the two variance estimation procedures were applied to the scores from this test. Substantial differences were found between both estimated statistics and the actual standard deviation. The first estimation procedure estimated the standard deviation systematically higher, whereas the second procedure's estimation was systematically lower. These results are discussed in terms of using such procedures for program evaluation.