This research study is a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative study that analyzed data from an intensive, long-term professional development project named, "Project: Making Mathematics Matter. (PM[superscript 3])" carried out in two low-performing, high-poverty districts. Two of the districts served as treatment districts and ALL…

In 2002/03, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina initiated a broad program of accelerating entry into algebra coursework. The proportion of moderately-performing students taking algebra in 8th grade increased from half to 85%, then reverted to baseline levels, in the span of just five years. We use this policy-induced variation to…

Introduction: The main objective of this study is (a) to investigate whether cognitive styles and working memory capacity could predict mathematical performance and which variable is relatively most important in predicting mathematical performance and b) to explore whether cognitive styles and working memory capacity could predict mathematical…

The present study investigated the relationship between statistics anxiety, individual characteristics (e.g., trait anxiety and learning strategies), and academic performance. Students enrolled in a statistics course in psychology (N = 147) filled in a questionnaire on statistics anxiety, trait anxiety, interest in statistics, mathematical…

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the long-term effects of a previous quasi-experiment that used inner speech as a tool to promote appropriate strategies in multiplication. Results one year after the intervention were published by Ostad and Askeland. This is a follow-up study. The 50-week intervention program was conducted in…

This study examines the stability of the SAT® scale from 1994 to 2001. A 1994 form and a 2001 form were readministered in a 2005 SAT administration, and the 1994 form was equated to the 2001 form. The new conversion was compared to the old conversion. Both the verbal and math sections exhibit a similar degree of scale drift, but in opposite…

In 2005, the College Board added a required writing section to the SAT, and ACT added an optional writing test to the ACT. Before 2005, ACT and the College Board had periodically produced concordance tables to assist admission officers who wanted to understand how students of comparable ability would score on the two college entrance examinations.…

Many efforts have been made to determine and explain differential gender performance on large-scale mathematics assessments. A well-agreed-on conclusion is that gender differences are contextualized and vary across math domains. This study investigated the pattern of gender differences by item domain (e.g., Space and Shape, Quantity) and item type…

This study examined whether SMART Board technology increased growth in mathematics performance of fourth grade gifted students. Gifted students in North Carolina were studied to determine if the use of SMART Board technology during mathematics instruction impacted their growth on standardized state tests. The sample consisted of 175 students from…

Research suggests low mathematics achievement is due to unfocused, unbalanced methods of instruction teachers have used in traditional methods of instruction. Balanced mathematics programs were developed as an answer to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of traditional math instruction…

This article reports the effects of a comprehensive elementary school-based social-emotional and character education program on school-level achievement, absenteeism, and disciplinary outcomes utilizing a matched-pair, cluster-randomized, controlled design. The "Positive Action" Hawai'i trial included 20 racially/ethnically diverse…

This article presents the author's comments on Randy Elliot Bennett's article "Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning" (CBAL), which appeared in issue 8(2-3). The article presents an integrated approach to assessment in which a theory of action for the intended consequences (i.e., benefits) drives both assessments and instructional…

Models of modern test theory imply statistical independence among responses, generally referred to as "local independence." One violation of local independence occurs when the response to one item governs the response to a subsequent item. Expanding on a formulation of this kind of violation as a process in the dichotomous Rasch model,…

The paper reports on the introduction of the graphics calculator into three centralised examination systems, which were located in Denmark, Victoria (Australia) and the International Baccalaureate. The introduction of the graphics calculator required those responsible for writing examination questions to consider how to assess mathematical skills…

The person-fit literature assumes that aberrant response patterns could be a sign of person mismeasurement, but this assumption has rarely, if ever, been empirically investigated before. We explore the validity of test responses and measures of 10-year-old examinees whose response patterns on a commercial standardized paper-and-pencil mathematics…