Educational software-ranging from video-game-like programs played on Sony PlayStations to rigorous drilling exercises used on computers-has become very popular in school districts across the country. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) recently conducted a national study of the effectiveness of educational software. In one phase of the study, a sample of 1,516 first-grade students in classrooms that used educational software was compared to a sample of 1,103 first-grade students in classrooms that did not use the technology. In its Report to Congress (March 2007), the DOE concluded that "[mean] test scores [of students on the SAT reading test] were not significantly higher in classrooms using reading...software products" than in classrooms that did not use educational software.
a. Identify the parameter of interest to the DOE.
b. Specify the null and alternative hypotheses for the test con-ducted by the DOE.
c. The p-value for the test was reported as .62. Based on this value, do you agree with the conclusion of the DOE? Explain.