A web-based activity and testing system (WATS) has features such as adaptive problem sets, videos, and data-driven tools for instructors to monitor and scaffold student learning. Central to WATS adoption and use are questions about the implementation process: What constitutes "good" implementation and how far from "good" is…

Operational testing programs employing item response theory (IRT) applications benefit from of the property of item parameter invariance whereby item parameter estimates obtained from one sample can be applied to other samples (when the underlying assumptions are satisfied). In theory, this feature allows for applications such as computer-adaptive…

A "teacher referenced" test system is discussed in terms of its development, evaluation of implementation, and final validation. This diagnostic test system for problems in primary mathematics in Holland provides reliable, applicable information about both the learning process for the classroom teacher, and diagnostic instruments and…

Two methods to establish a common scale across grades within a content area using a common item design (separate and concurrent) have previously been studied under simulated conditions. Separate estimation is accomplished through separate calibration and grade-by-grade chained linking. Concurrent calibration established the vertical scale in a…

For the past five years, Vermont has been developing an innovative statewide assessment system in which portfolios of student work in mathematics and writing are a key element. The use of mathematics portfolios, particularly in elementary school, is a novel aspect of the assessment system. This study examines the elementary school mathematics…

The data collection process is described for a new facet of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)--the state-level assessment of eighth-grade mathematics in 1990 and 1992 to determine the feasibility and validity of state assessments. For this Trial State Assessment, the NAEP will work with a State Coordinator from each of the 41…

This study modeled school and district effects in the mathematics scores of the Delaware Student Testing Program (DSTP) using hierarchical linear modeling. Three-level hierarchical models were fitted to estimate school and district effects in the DSTP mathematics scores and to examine the school and district variance with variables assessing…

In response to the large numbers of students who were failing or dropping out of basic algebra and calculus classes, Cottey College, in Missouri, developed a math placement program in 1982 using Basic Algebra (BA) and Calculus Readiness (CR) tests from the Mathematical Association of America's Placement Testing Program. Cut off scores for the…

This paper describes the methods used for revising the Cincinnati Mathematics Inventories, a battery of criterion-referenced tests of basic skills used in the Cincinnati Title III program and other city-wide special programs. Each of these tests is designed to cover a half-year of work; items are included to sample skills listed in the Catalog of…

A study was designed to assess the effects of the introduction of a state-mandated minimum competency test (MCT) on students' acquisition of basic and high-level mathematics skills. Subjects of the study were ninth-grade students, all of whom attended the same schools in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, and took the same form of the…

As almost every state attempts to reform mathematics instruction by implementing new teaching standards, state testing practices remain largely unchanged. Is there a mismatch between these new standards and the old tests? This question is investigated by examining whether middle school and high school algebra students taught in a manner consistent…

The primary objective of this research was to examine the effect of scoring items known to be multidimensional using a unidimensional model. Although several simulation studies have examined this, few studies have been conducted using data obtained from actual test administrations. In this study, open-ended mathematics items from a mandated state…

Statewide assessment programs in mathematics that have led the way in the development and implementation of new alternative forms of assessment are described and compared. Assessments reviewed are: (1) the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP); (2) the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA); (3) Vermont's Mathematics Portfolio Assessment…

During the Spring of 1989, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction field-tested a geometry proof performance assessment as a component of the High School End-of-Course Testing Program (EoC). The existing geometry EoC test consisted only of multiple-choice items. The performance assessment was added to the multiple-choice component to…

The Conference on English and Mathematics brought together 100 faculty members from the California Community Colleges and the California State University to address such topics as curricular standards; admission, placement, and exit testing; improvement of transition from upper- to lower-division study; and the integration of English and…