Muses on the Report of the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy, "From Gatekeeper to Gateway: Transforming Testing in America." (SR)

The author of EC 607 585 discusses how parent comments on a survey concerning homework, tests, and grades of their children in regular or special education classes can reflect deeper meanings behind their forced choices. Excerpts from several surveys indicate parents' definitions of homework, the need for communication between parents and…

A University of Adelaide (Australia) study investigated the effect of administering identical stations to different classes over a 12-year period within the objective structured clinical examination component of a final-year medical school examination. Repeat administrations correlated with improved student performance over time. (Author/MSE)

A computer simulation compared significance tests of correlation coefficients calculated from initial scores, from ranks assigned by the Spearman method, and from three kinds of modified ranks. Implications of findings for the idea that rank correlation is a nonparametric correlation method are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses nine factors affecting the relationship between learning and test performance that can be controlled by the teacher: time on task, level of learning, question format, number of questions, inclusion of past work, difficulty level, grouping, use of new items, and difficulty distribution. (SR)

Explores a study investigating the effect of individual cognitive styles on learning through computer-based instruction. Identifies a significant difference between the cognitive styles on test scores, in particular the Wholist/Verbaliser group, and indicates a potential for cognitive styles to influence learning outcomes measured by performance…

Explores possible reasons for the gender gap in scores on the mathematics section of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT-M) including test bias, variability in scores, the timed nature of the test, and environmental factors. Contains 29 references. (Author/ASK)

Questions the English for specific purposes enterprise on both practical and theoretical grounds. Rejects the idea of considering specific purposes (SPs) as registers alone, agreeing with suggestions that SPs are characterized by their communicative natures. Questions the influence SP factors have in test-taker performances relative to other…

Discusses coverage of language testing issues in the "Modern Language Journal" over the last 80 years. Suggests that overall the articles devoted to language testing show a valuable concern with the use rather than the form of language tests. (Author/VWL)

Considers whether differences might emerge in writing quality when students wrote examinations by hand or on a computer, and whether raters differed in their evaluation of essays written by hand, on a computer, or by hand and then transcribed to typed form before scoring. Finds no statistically significant differences in ratings among the three…

Considers the mathematical needs of young employees. Interviewed both employees and their employers from a wide range of industry, commerce, and the public sector, and ascertained mathematics that is perceived by employers as being needed as well as that actually used by employees. Considers use made of commercial numeracy tests and makes…

Increasing pressure to raise test scores has led to increased cheating by educators. This results in inaccurate information about individual students. Research suggests that significant numbers of teachers witness or participate in cheating and appear increasingly indifferent to cheating. Necessary actions to address the problem of cheating…

Studies a new approach to ipsative analysis of children's profiles on a test of ability. Uses the Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive (PASS) processes measured by the Cognitive Assessment System to illustrate how profile analysis could be accomplished. Results suggest that the ipsative approach may offer promise for identification of…

Communicative Development Inventories (CDIs) were collected from 669 British Children aged between 1 and 2 years. Comprehension and production scores in each age group were calculated. This provides norming data for the British infant population. Data from British infants is compared to data from American infants. (Author/VWL)

Reviews examination questions and categorizes them according to their usefulness in a Computer Algebra System (CAS) environment with respect to their significance for testing abilities and skills and from the point of view of using a CAS for their solution. Examination questions are presented as an important didactical tool in teaching…