Matriculation regulations in California require that community colleges which adopt standardized placement tests demonstrate that the tests are valid predictors of future course success. A positive correlation of at least .35 between test score and subsequent student performance in a particular course is needed to demonstrate the predictive…

Students taking the paper-based Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) mathematics test are permitted to bring and use their own hand-held calculators, and this policy was continued for the computer-adaptive tests (CAT) designed for use in talent search programs. An on-screen calculator may also be used with the CAT. The bring-your-own option has raised…

This study investigated the validity of measures derived from a large-scale multiple-choice achievement test in mathematics, using evidence from introspective think-aloud protocols of students as they attempted test items. A small-scale study of 21 local high-school students was conducted to identify and describe cognitive processes underlying…

As part of a larger project to assess changes in student learning resulting from school reform, this study equates levels 6 through 14 of the mathematics and reading comprehension components of Form 7 of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) with levels 7 through 14 of the mathematics and reading comprehension components of the CPS90 (another…

The 52 tests cited in this bibliography are geared to students in grade 7 and above. This bibliography also includes descriptions of item banks and test batteries in which algebra is one of several subjects being assessed. Although grades 1 through 12 are represented, the tests are primarily designed for grades 7 and above, including adult-level.…

The International Mathematics Tournament of the Towns is a mathematics competition for junior and senior high school students all over the world. The tournament began in 1980 in the former Soviet Union. Participants write contest papers locally, with emphasis on solving within a very generous time allowance a small number of interesting problems.…

The literature was examined to find studies specifically concerned with the development of instruments designed to measure attitudes. Close attention was paid to procedures used to determine reliability and validity in the development and subsequent use of such instruments. An effort was made to select the most relevant literature from the vast…

The derivation of several item selection algorithms for use in fitting test items to target information functions is described. These algorithms circumvent iterative solutions by using the criteria of moving averages of the distance to a target information function and simultaneously considering an entire range of ability points used to condition…

This supplement to the "Technical Report for the Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire" describes methods for examining student responses to the questionnaire and focuses on the data for criterion-referenced-test (CRT) type scores. The Mathematics Assessment Questionnaire (MAQ) was developed to provide information about students in grades…

Prior research suggests that the traditionally difficult academic subject matter, such as mathematics or the natural sciences, may evoke greater levels of evaluative (test) anxiety than curricular areas with easier content. These higher levels of anxiety may contribute to poor performance in mathematics and science courses. College freshmen's…

This study focuses on the relationship between item modeling and evidence-centered design (ECD); it considers how an appropriately generalized item modeling software tool can support systematic identification and exploitation of task-model variables, and then examines the feasibility of this goal, using linear-equation items as a test case. The…

In most mathematics problem solving work, students' motivation comes from trying to please their teachers or to earn a good grade. The questions students must tackle are almost never generated by their own interest. Seven open-ended college algebra-level problems are presented in which the solution of one question suggests other related questions.…

This study tested the benefits of matching field dependent (FD) learners to an algorithmic method and field independent (FI) learners to a discovery method relative to mathematics achievement. It also attempted to discover if FD learners reacted more positively to computer experience than did FI learners. A total of 126 college algebra students…

A pilot study of a computerized adaptive test of mathematics achievement was conducted in May and June 1989 in selected schools of the San Diego Unified School District. The study evaluated the usefulness of the test for determining eligibility for Chapter 1 programs in mathematics. The test was a prototype battery of three adaptive tests: (1)…

This digest reviews the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics'"Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics." Topics summarized are: (1) rationale; (2) underlying assumptions; (3) five goals for students; (4) framework for curriculum; (5) standards for each grade cluster; (6) standards for general assessment, student…