Responds to the most commonly asked questions and criticisms regarding the Third International Mathematics and Science Study's assessment of students at the end of secondary school. Answers cover differences in age and grade levels, differences in enrollment rates, definitions of the U.S. advanced mathematics population, unbelievable numbers,…

Gender differences in performance on multiple-choice and constructed-response items in mathematics were studied with 3592 11th graders taking a high school graduation examination. Results suggest that gender differences in mathematics may be linked to content and item format, thus supporting the usefulness of a many-faceted Rasch model for…

Presents details on how students perform on particular types of mathematics questions from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Data are from three special studies conducted as part of the NAEP: (1) estimation skills; (2) problem-solving abilities (mathematics in context); and (3) students taking advanced courses in mathematics.…

The temporal stability and intertask consistency of an eighth-grade mathematics performance assessment and how task similarity affects the ability to generalize results of the assessments were studied with results from 101 eighth graders. Results support the suggestion that large-scale performance assessments be used with considerable caution…

Used generalizability theory to assess the variation in school scores across very short test forms that measured mathematics scores in grades 4 and 8. More than 25,000 students took each form of the 3 tests for each grade. Results demonstrate the lack of comparability in school scores across short, nonparallel tests forms and the importance of…

Students in New Hampshire will not be alone when they will take their new state mathematics and reading tests. Their fellow students in Rhode Island and Vermont will be taking the same exams along with them. This article reports that New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont have joined forces to create reading and math tests in grades 3-8. They…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of various cognitive abilities and aspects of math performance with computational estimation skill among third graders. Students (n=315) were assessed on language, nonverbal reasoning, concept formation, processing speed, long-term memory, working memory, inattentive behavior, basic reading…

The premise of a great deal of current research guiding policy development has been that accommodations are the catalyst for student performance differences. Rather than accepting this premise, two studies were conducted to investigate the influence of extended time and content knowledge on the performance of ninth-grade students who took a…

This study examined the performance of one hundred thirty-one fifth graders on timed versus untimed mathematics tests. Measures of math fluency and calculation were administered. Low achieving students performed poorly on both calculation and math fluency. Normally achieving children performed within the average range on both calculation and math…

It has been observed that students react in similar ways to mathematics and science tasks that differ with regard either to their content area and/or to the type of reasoning required, but share some common, external features. Based on these observations, the Intuitive Rules Theory was proposed. In this present study the framework of this theory…

This article discusses how President's Bush's proposals to expand educational accountability from the elementary and middle grades to high schools would mean more testing for teenagers, individual student plans to promote achievement, and financial incentives for teachers to help students meet their goals. Mr. Bush's campaign proposals, unveiled…

The NAEP Validity Studies (NVS) Panel provides advice and recommendations to help insure the "validity" of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test scores. The primary objectives of NAEP tests are to accurately monitor the progress of defined groups of students over time and to measure valid differences in scores…

The sometimes poor performance of Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators on a state-mandated proficiency test is a major concern of CTE educators. This study examined whether (a) there are performance differences on state-mandated 11th-grade math and reading tests between CTE and non-CTE students with similar proficiency scores in the…

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences--excused versus unexcused--and school performance. With a quantitative model of…

Disappointing results of international monitoring studies such as TIMSS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) have fuelled another general debate on the need for a sufficient level of scientific literacy and the necessity to improve the quality of science instruction in…