Many Pennsylvania colleges and universities require that teacher candidates pass a standardized assessment in order to gain formal entry in to their education programs. Standardized tests are also required for Level I teacher certification within Pennsylvania. The initial assessment required of all Pennsylvania preservice teachers for…

This study evaluated agreement between expert system and human scores on 12 algebra word problems taken by Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test examinees from a general sample of 285 and a study sample of 30. Problems were drawn from three content classes (rate x time, work, and interest) and presented in four constructed-response…

This study guide is specifically designed for individuals preparing to take the Georgia Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in mathematics. The test covers seven subareas: (1) sets, numbers, numeration, operations, etc.; (2) geometry; (3) algebra; (4) trigonometry; (5) analysis and calculus; (6) probability and logic; and (7) measurement, relations,…

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…

In May 1983 the California State University (CSU) introduced the Entry-Level Mathematics (ELM) examination as part of its basic skills assessment process for first-time freshmen and undergraduate transfers. The exam is intended to provide students and counselors with information on the levels of mathematical competency possessed by entering…

Background information about the first mathematics examinations given at Harvard in the academic year 1854-55 is given. The two instructors, Pierce and Eliot, responsible for the innovation are discussed. (MK)

Some background information is given about the GRE. A detailed account of its construction, its recent history, and some of the thinking that has gone into it is related. (MP)

The development of a computer-based, university-wide testing system at Brigham Young University is discussed, as is its application to two large-enrollment math classes. The hardware configuration, software applications, general philosophy, budget, and personnel requirements of the system are also explained. Development of the system over time is…

A response to the Minister of Education's announcement of provincewide testing in English and mathematics and a look at the tests thay may be used. (CRH)

To find the students who need help, college officials are starting new testing programs, sharing more information with high-school teachers and administrators, and joining with high schools to sponsor special programs for students and teachers. Programs in Ohio, New Jersey, and Florida are described. (MLW)

In 1981, the Faculty Senate, at an upper division midwestern university, initiated the consideration of a literate skills testing program to address variance in academic level of the entering undergraduate student. The policy stipulated that all undergraduate students admitted to a degree program must demonstrate competency in writing and…

Drawing from a review of the literature and direct experience, this paper discusses key issues in developmental mathematics placement. First, the controversial practice of mandatory placement is examined, citing research results that support the practice and those that do not. Next, the diversity of developmental math placement standards is…

The study reported here was intended to "round out" the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Board's continuing study of special test preparation for the GRE General Test by providing information that was previously unavailable on the effects of one kind of special test preparation--self-test-familiarization for the verbal and quantitative…

An attempt was made to evaluate the standard error of equating (at the mean of the scores) in an ongoing testing program. The interest in estimating the empirical standard error of equating is occasioned by some discomfort with the error normally reported for test scores. Data used for this evaluation came from the Admissions Testing Program of…

The New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT) was instituted in 1978 as a proficiency examination designed to measure the reading, writing, and mathematics skills of students entering college. In spring and summer 1982, 51,135 students at New Jersey's state and county colleges and at 10 independent colleges took the NJCBSPT. Of…