The aim of this study is to suggest an alternative to the essay testing method of assessing structural understanding of concepts, which suffers from time constraints and lack of scoring reliability. In this method, students' relationship judgments between concept pairs are examined directly rather than by means of multidimensional scaling analysis…

In this book comprised of six chapters, multiple aspects of competency based education (CBE) are discussed contextually by various authors in terms of the current educational climate wherein the primary emphasis is upon learning outcomes rather than the process of learning itself. To illuminate the notion of competence, Chapter 1 presents:…

In light of the widespread use of competency testing, the authors consider that it is important to determine ways of developing and using competency testing to insure that it achieves its full potential. The paper, in three parts, introduces a model for the development and validation of competency tests, reviews several methods for setting…

The opinions of 514 college faculty concerning their grading philosophies, grading patterns, and their knowledge of how grades vary among fields were surveyed and classified according to demographic characteristics of the faculty. Approximately half of the respondents expressed the opinion that there is great variation in the meaning of a letter…

This study was undertaken to identify the differences between asthmatic and nonasthmatic children, ages nine through twelve, on self-concept and attitudes toward physical education. It was anticipated that children having an asthmatic condition might reflect significantly different scores from their nonasthmatic peers at least partially…

An alternative is proposed to the legally required uniform procedures and criteria for reporting the results of Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I projects. It is suggested that Congress is unlikely to respond to nationwide impact data on the effectiveness of Title I even when such data are available. It is further proposed that the RMC…

Six goals are essential to basic skills mastery. Goal one is the identification of specific competencies and performance indicators which are necessary for students to master to become a coping adult. The appendix lists 17 competencies modeled after the Adult Performance Level Project (APL). Competencies are organized into five knowledge areas:…

A teaching aid appropriate for a beginning course on experimental design is presented. The aid is a numerical example which illustrates some of the theoretical interrelations among three competing design analysis strategies for estimating treatment effects in random assignment designs. The analysis strategies considered are analysis of variance…

The computer management system described, which administers tests and provides feedback to examinees, as well as progress summaries to instructional personnel, has been implemented at Florida State University. Located in the Assessment Resource Center (ARC), it has been used to manage the instruction of several thousand students enrolled in…

Superintendents from 155 school districts in Pennsylvania were surveyed regarding their participation in Pennsylvania's 1976 Educational Quality Assessment (EQA). Ten state goals for quality public school education were assessed in grades 5, 8, and 11, as part of the EQA. Questionnaire responses were returned by superintendents from 128 school…

The educational accountability movement is changing the teacher's role in curriculum development from that of autonomous decision maker to agent of public school policy makers. To assess teacher reactions to factors influencing their autonomy, 75 teachers were exposed to pressures to change the content of fourth grade mathematics instruction in a…

As a result of the 1976 Educational Accountability Act, minimal competency tests were developed for grades 3, 5, 8 and 11 by the Florida State Board of Education. Results of the first administration of the 11th grade tests showed that the failure rate for minority black students was much higher than for white students. Results of the tests…

Seventeen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Five of the reports deal with aspects of learning theory, three with teacher education, two with testing, three with children's knowledge and understanding of various mathematics-related concepts, and one each with errors in solving linear equations, classroom…

A student questionnaire is presented that is designed to measure attitudes toward school, with subscales for attitudes towards self, other students, teachers, the principal, and the school in general: The Battle Student Attitude Scale. Attitudes are discussed briefly, telling what they are, how they develop, and what effect they may have on…

The Degrees of Reading Power test (DRP) and its related technology are described in this publication. It contains a brief description of the DRP, which was designed to measure the most difficult level of text that a student can read with comprehension; a report on the validation of the test; sample DRP passages; an instructional viewpoint as it…