Development of Tools for the Analysis of NAEP Data

The purpose of this project is: (1) to define the structure and properties of a NAEP data analysis system which would enable the full model-based analysis of NAEP data; (2) given the system definition, to assess the extent to which existing packages meet these requirements, and to describe the adaptations needed; and (3) to evaluate alternative computational methods, and to begin implementation of the best computational methods for maximum likelihood in an open-source statistical package.