This guide is designed to provide teachers with guidelines and suggested activities for teaching a one-semester advanced programming course--BASIC Programming II--for the ninth through twelfth grades. Although primarily oriented toward mathematics, the guide does offer sample applications in business that also address the needs of students with a…

A number of issues involved in the large-scale assessment of science and mathematics education were illustrated during the conduct of two national surveys: the 1977 National Survey of Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies Education and the 1985 National Survey, Science and Mathematics Education. Development of the survey questionnaires started…

This study of the effects of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the academic achievement of educationally disadvantaged students in grades 2 through 8 in four urban schools tested three hypotheses: (1) supplementary CAI programs are significantly more effective than non-CAI supplementary instruction approaches for disadvantaged students; (2)…

This report on trends in school improvement test results presents an analysis and synthesis of 1978-1984 student performance data from four state-mandated testing programs: (1) the Educational Quality Assessment Program in Pennsylvania; (2) the Minimum Basic Skills Program in New Jersey; (3) the Delaware Educational Assessment Program in Delaware;…

This study examined differences in predicting achievement by sex on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) from the verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal scores on the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). The sample (n=10,000) consisted of all students in Grades 2, 5, and 8 who completed both tests in fall 1984. Examinations of means and standard…

This article describes the placement testing program, the use of microcomputer software for scoring and analyzing test results, and the integration of the computerized test results into a comprehensive microcomputer-based student information system at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). UCI offers placement tests in five academic fields:…

This paper focuses on the questions which arise as test practitioners monitor score scales derived from latent trait theory. Large scale assessment programs are dynamic and constantly challenge the assumptions and limits of latent trait models. Even though testing programs evolve, test scores must remain reliable indicators of progress.…

Mathematics anxiety and its relationship to other constructs was studied in 138 preservice elementary and special education teachers. The students, primarily women, were enrolled in a variety of professional courses and field experiences. Five instruments were administered, their factor structures were determined, and intercorrelations among the…

This comparison of the effects of LOGO use with the use of teacher-directed problem-solving instruction, and with conventional mathematics instruction, focused on the problem-solving ability, basic skills achievement, and attitudes of junior high school learners. Students (N=97) in five seventh grade mathematics classes were systematically…

This study investigates the extent to which the higher order factors of symbolic and semantic content are differentiated. The main concern is an expository description of the use of confirmatory factor analysis in establishing factorial validity. Reanalyzed data originally collected in 1968 involved a sample of 197 tenth, eleventh and twelfth…

This paper begins with a summary and analysis of Robert Glaser's arguments, presented in his paper "Education and Thinking: The Role of Knowledge," which contend there are strong interactions between structures of knowledge and cognitive processes, and that problem solving and reasoning are taught best in the context of the acquisition…

This paper examined test scores and information about test takers collected from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) national test administration files, GRE validity study data provided by institutional users, and survey questionnaires sent to test repeaters. Data were collected from 200,000 men and women who took the GRE General Test in June…

In 1983, the California Legislature authorized and funded 15 Teacher Education and Computer Centers (TECCs) to provide staff development services to teachers and administrators. Incorporating earlier staff development programs into a single statewide system, TECCs provide: (1) computer technology instruction, including classroom applications; (2)…

Reductions in the funding of compensatory education along with observed discrepancies in per-pupil cost among equally effective schools created a compelling case for the study of the determinants of cost-effective Chapter 1 programs in the state of Minnesota. Cost-effectiveness (CE) indexes for Chapter 1 reading and math services reflected a ratio…

An endeavor to alert elementary teachers and students to the need to protect and conserve one of Minnesota's basic resources, soil, these supplementary instructional activities are designed for easy integration into science, social studies, language arts, mathematics, and art subject and skill areas. Each activity includes a brief description of…