This theme issue deals with internal and external factors that influence student achievement in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Internal factors are those related to the test material; external factors include socioeconomic level and educational background, school climate, language background, and students' attitudes…

Analyzes results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for Australia and discusses variations found across the country. Considers curriculum issues related to TIMSS results and notes that the importance of student attitudes toward mathematics is reinforced by TIMSS findings. (SLD)

Assessed whether performances of 5- and 6-year olds in arithmetic tests can be predicted from their performances in neuropsychological tests. Participants completed neuropsychological, drawing, and arithmetic tests at 5 and 6 years of age. Findings at older age were correctly assumed by conclusions of first evaluation. (LBT)

A study examined the effects of providing the accommodation of reading the mathematics items to 115 fourth-grade students, 38 with learning disabilities, on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Students with learning disabilities benefited from having the mathematics items read to them, although typical students had higher test scores.…

Developed a procedure for defining achievement levels on continuous scales using aspects of Guttman scaling (L. Guttman, 1950) and Item Response Theory. Using data from high school mathematics tests for about 6,000 students, found the new procedure to have higher reliability, higher classification consistency, and lower classification error than…

This study examined the contributions of the different components of the working memory (WM) model to a range of mathematical skills in children, using measures of WM function that did not involve numerical stimuli. A sample of 148 children (78 Year 3, mean age 8 years and 1 month, and 70 Year 5 pupils, mean age 9 years and 10 months) completed WM…

Starting in March 2005, the SAT, taken annually by more than 1.4 million college-bound students, will undergo its most significant change since 1994, when the College Board, which sponsors the test, first allowed calculators into test rooms, added open-ended math questions, and eliminated antonyms and added more critical-reading passages in the…

The purpose of this study was to explore cognitive process used by selected preservice elementary teachers on basic types of problems involving number sense. The sample was selected from students in six intact entry-level mathematics sections of a course populated by preservice elementary school teachers. In the beginning of the semester, the…

The NAEP testing over the past decade shows gradual improvement of test scores at the eighth-grade level, contrary to what many say about stagnant scores. However, by 2000, only one-fourth of eighth graders performed at the proficient level. (Contains 2 tables and 6 figures.)

To examine the predictive utility of three scales provided in the released database of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) (international plausible values, standardized percent correct score, and national Rasch score), information was obtained on the performance in state examinations in mathematics and science in 1996…

The New Zealand Ministry of Education has introduced a Numeracy Project for students aged 5-14 years in selected schools. The project encourages the adoption of flexible strategies for solving numerical problems, and discourages reliance on standard computational algorithms. One potential benefit of the project is that the methods students acquire…

An ability-based guessing model is formulated and applied to several data sets regarding educational tests in language and in mathematics. The formulation of the model is such that the probability of a correct guess does not only depend on the item but also on the ability of the individual, weighted with a general discrimination parameter. By so…

This research investigated factors affecting examination anxiety and aimed to increase schools' understanding of this topic. The study was a school-based initiative, evaluating intervention strategies to help secondary pupils with the self-management of their examination anxiety. The study compared the effects of a range of approaches on…

"The Condition of Education 2017" is a congressionally mandated annual report summarizing the latest data on education in the United States. This report is designed to help policymakers and the public monitor educational progress. This year's report includes 50 indicators on topics ranging from prekindergarten through postsecondary…

Many educators choose to believe that learning to read and write is as natural as learning to listen and speak, even though scientifically based research does not support their belief. However, most educators (as well as the public) believe that most students must be taught mathematics to learn it. Moreover, there is a body of research evidence…