The exploratory data analysis method of median polishing was used to examine patterns of differences in male and female performance on the Graduate Record Examination quantitative and analytical tests. Males were found overall to outperform females on the quantitative measure but not on the analytical measure. (Author/MLW)

The present study examined the effect of three modes of feedback on the seriousness of error types committed on a post-test. The effect of the feedback made on post-test errors was found to be differential and dependent upon the seriousness of errors committed on the pre-test. (Author/LMO)

Reports on a study to determine the development of children's understanding of seven properties of the arithmetic mean and to assess the effects of material used in the testing and the medium of presentation. Some differences were found in children's reasoning. No significant differences were found for materials or medium of presentation. (PK)

Describes a study comparing the assessment of student work by seven teachers with the assessment done by 20 secondary assessors. (PK)

For the 1980 sophomore cohort from High School and Beyond, a strong relation was found between senior-year mathematics achievement test scores and the number of mathematics courses taken at the level of Algebra I and above. The relationship between science test scores and science courses taken was weaker. (Author/LMO)

This article calls attention to testing as an integral part of teaching mental computation. It begins with an overview of students' performance and is followed by some specific suggestions for testing mental computation skills in the classroom. (Author)

Understanding the consequences of growing up poor for a child's well-being is an important research question, but one that is difficult to answer due to the potential endogeneity of family income. Past estimates of the effect of family income on child development have often been plagued by omitted variable bias and measurement error. In this…

This study examined the alignment between the Golden State Exam (GSE) in High School Mathematics and the University of California (UC) Statement on Competencies in mathematics, exploring the technical quality of the alignment process. UC faculty and high school mathematics teachers (n=20) from Northern and Southern California rated the mathematics…

Current methods of combining multiple measures of student performance have been subjective and have lacked evidence of external validity. This study examined the use of predictive discriminant analysis (PDA) as a means of finding the best combination of variables to predict performance on a standards-based mathematics assessment. Data from 261…

This study, one of a series designed to answer practical questions about performance based assessment, examined the comparability of school scores on short, nonparallel test forms. The data were obtained from mathematics tests with both multiple choice (MC) and performance assessment (PA) items. The tests were administered in a statewide testing…

This document is an information resource for teachers based on the findings of the Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP), a major research program funded by The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. This book presents information about the 1994 AAP mathematics survey and contains sections with sample survey items on student…

The primary concern or focus of a certification or licensure test is to obtain valid criterion-referenced information regarding a candidate's competence to practice. When the test is administered by computer, a valid pass/fail decision can be made with fewer items than an equivalent paper/pencil test by targeting items at the passing score and…

This paper compares modified Guttman and item response theory (IRT) based procedures for classifying examinees in ordered levels when each level is represented by several multiple choice test items. In the modified Guttman procedure, within-level number correct scores are mapped to binary level mastery scores. Examinees are then assigned to levels…

Colleges and universities are using the ACT test as a tool to help decide which students are awarded scholarships, admitted into programs, and declared eligible to participate in athletics. The purpose of this study was to see if students could improve their ACT mathematics score during junior year. A comparison was made of 52 Ritchie County High…

This paper describes the approaches taken at a middle school to improve student problem solving ability and test results for the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) mathematics tests. The focus was on grade 6. In 1996, 35% of the 437 students in grade 6 did not master the mathematics problem solving skill. A committee of…