This article describes an experimental system for administering multiple-choice math tests to students who are visually impaired or have other print disabilities. Using a new audio-tactile computer peripheral device called the Talking Tactile Tablet, a preliminary version of a self-voicing test was created for eight participants. (Contains…

Three study cohorts involving 199 gifted fifth graders, 190 gifted sixth graders, and 683 typical sixth graders were used to construct, validate, and pilot a computerized adaptive math test for placing fifth graders in a middle school mathematics gifted program. Results suggest the adaptive test has potential for talent identification. (Author/CR)

Differences between and interrelationships among reading and math achievement test scores for 269 students with learning disabilities were investigated to determine whether previous findings were replicable. Findings supported previous research that showed different achievement tests purporting to measure the same construct did not provide…

This study attempts to detect the presence of either of 2 different categories of large-scale bias in 4 widely used mathematics achievement tests: induced bias and norming bias. Subjects were 407 eighth graders. (IAH)

Describes four mathematics teachers' classroom discussions with small groups in their first year secondary (11-12 years old) classrooms. Analyzes interview results from one student in each group. Topic of the classroom was division of fractions. (YP)

Statistics are presented concerning background characteristics of 292 students who scored well on the mathematical sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test at age 12 or younger. Discussed are the ratio of girls to boys, geographic distribution, verbal ability, parents' education level and occupational status, siblings, and educational…

Forty-eight rural high school students were randomly assigned to groups that solved math problems with paper and pencil or with calculators. Both groups displayed similar attitudes toward math. Results of a word problem test revealed that, after one week, calculator use contributed significantly to mathematical word problem achievement. (LP)

Described are important changes that will be introduced in the mathematics sections of the new Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The three main changes are (1) permission to use calculators; (2) inclusion of open-ended questions; and (3) content revisions consistent with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics "Curriculum and Evaluation…

To test the Lewis and Mayer simulation model (1987) for understanding compare problems, 3 experiments involving 39 college students and 15 third graders used registration of eye movements. Two experiments somewhat support the model, suggesting it holds true only when the task puts cognitive demands on the subject. (SLD)

Describes the development of the ability to identify a ratio as the appropriate measure of a given attribute by (n=26) prospective elementary teachers. It was concluded that traditional procedural approaches to teaching ratios do not challenge students to develop their own mathematical models of the world. (21 references) (MKR)

A mathematics achievement test was taken by 132 U.S. and 110 Japanese fifth graders. Scores were higher for the Japanese, and relatively better for computation than problem solving. The reverse was true for the U.S. students. Results are discussed in terms of amount and kind of exposure to mathematics. (SLD)

A model-testing approach for evaluating the stability of item response theory item parameter estimates (IPEs) in a pretest-posttest design is illustrated. Nineteen items from the Head Start Measures Battery were used. A moderately high degree of stability in the IPEs for 5,510 children assessed on 2 occasions was found. (TJH)

The mathematics components of an elementary school achievement battery were studied for differential item performance between 726 boys and 721 girls taking the California Achievement Test in grades 4, 5, and 6. Overall, no skill classifications, ability levels, or item locations favored one sex group consistently across grades. (SLD)

A high school geometry teacher studied the alternative assessment literature, developed and tried alternative assessments such as portfolios in the classroom, evaluated students' and parents' satisfaction levels with these methods, and got feedback from those involved. While students initially had mixed reactions, over 90% of parents supported…

Over four weeks, 81 secondary students with learning disabilities were tested on four parallel mathematics performance assessments, each under a different condition: standard administration, teacher-read, computer-read, and computer-read with video. Results indicated that providing a reader, either human or computer, increased scores on…