Classical measurement theory was used to investigate measurement characteristics of both parts of the Finding Embedded Figures Test (FEFT) when the test was: administered in either a "no guessing" supply format or a multiple-choice selection format; administered to either undergraduate college students or middle school students; and…

In mathematics, Canadian students perform poorly, and enrollment in Canadian postsecondary institutions is low, particularly for women. Clearly, there is a need to understand the personal and social factors that influence mathematics achievement and academic choices. A. Bandura's self-efficacy theory (1977, 1982) implies that academic choices are…

The reliability, content validity, and construct validity were compared for two test formats in a public examination used to assess a secondary school geography course. The 11-item geography portion of the Intermediate Certificate Examination (essay examination) was administered in June 1987 to 400 secondary school students in Ireland who also…

The rationale for using multiple evaluation strategies in a comprehensive program evaluation is described. Examples are given of eleven strategies used in the evaluation of the Experience-Based Career Education project developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory through sponsorship of the National Institute of Education. Strengths…

For the second year of Project Adventure, an Outward Bound-type physical education program based at Hamilton-Wenham Regional School north of Boston, a battery of 6 tests was administered to the entire sophomore class (123 males and 108 females) before and after the program. Second year results indicated significant, positive changes in…

The Edmonton Grade III Achievement: 1956-1977 study is a comparison of achievement in reading, arithmetic, and language involving all of the third grade students in a large school system. Six basic skills tests which were administered to all of the Edmonton third grade students in 1956 were reprinted and administered to all of the third grade…

An education evaluation program was begun in 1950: (1) to compare school achievement of Indian and white children in small, rural schools, grades 4 through 12, and (2) to establish a predictive testing program to aid in meeting the requirements for granting educational loans to Indian pupils. By 1955, California Achievement Tests had been…

The state of the art of language testing in England is examined through the conference proceedings presented in this text. The nine chapters, written by individual authors, include discussion of the General Certificate of Education examinations, nonschool examinations, oral tests, research by examining boards, continuous assessment, and…

This report describes an experiment concerned with a possible relationship between the inability to learn basic educational skills, such as reading and writing, and the inability to organize incoming stimuli for communication purposes, in spite of adequate intellectual potential. The study had three main tasks. The first problem was to develop a…

The two basic objectives of this five-year study were to investigate a number of variables related to the preparation of effective instructional materials for disadvantaged preschool children, and to determine whether special language instruction would produce improvement in language abilities and thus promote academic progress in the beginning…

Five elements necessary for the rigorous evaluation of bilingual programs are discussed: (1) careful collection of meaningful baseline data from selected subjects; (2) the identification and development of instruments to measure key variables, such as context and student characteristics; (3) the identification of treatment characteristics, such as…

Achieve was asked by the Washington State Academic Achievement and Accountability Commission, Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction, and the Partnership for Learning to conduct a study of the 10th grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The intent of the study was to compare the content, rigor and passing scores on…

Applies Item Response Theory methods to data from the national norming of the Test of Economic Literacy to identify test questions with large male-female differences. Regression analysis showed a significant decrease in the magnitude of gender difference, although a difference was still present. (MJP)

Differential item functioning (DIF) methodology for revealing sources of item difficulty and performance characteristics of different groups was explored. A total of 150 Scholastic Aptitude Test items and 132 Graduate Record Examination general test items were analyzed. DIF was evaluated for males and females and Blacks and Whites. (SLD)

Item responses of 2,380 mathematically talented junior high school students (1,437 males and 943 females) were studied to determine gender differences, using the mathematical sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M). Girls excelled on miscellaneous items and data sufficiency items but performed less well on algebra items than boys. (SLD)