Basic brain function is not a mystery. Given that neuroscientists understand the brain's basic functioning processes, one wonders what their research suggests to teachers of developmental algebra. What if we knew how to teach so as to improve understanding of the algebra taught to developmental algebra students? What if we knew how the brain…

This position paper is an extension of a presentation delivered to the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics at their annual meetings in San Diego, 1978. Four limits in test design are discussed: focus on low-level skills, general adherence to randomness, filling in blanks, and right…